Billy Connolly: My son’s battling booze and drug addiction
Comedian reveals fresh heartache over his boy, 50
HE has been candid about his own personal battles with Parkinson’s disease and prostate cancer.
But now Sir Billy Connolly has revealed his son has a fight of his own – against alcohol and drug addiction.
Visiting recovering drug addicts in West Virginia while making his new travel series for ITV, the comedian admitted Jamie, 50, had a ‘problem’.
Glasgow-born Sir Billy said his eldest child, from his first marriage to Iris Pressagh, had been to meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
The 76-year-old also hit out at the lack of understanding and compassion shown towards those with addiction problems.
In an episode of his latest TV series, the Great American Trail, he said: ‘My son has a problem and he’s in AA and NA.
‘He told me when he went to the detox place some kids were being let out and they were back on the stuff before they got to the railway station. It’s so powerful.
‘People who don’t know about it say “why do they take it? Just say no. Just stop and you’ll be better”. Duh. It’s extraordinary.’
Addressing workers and those getting treatment at the Southern West Virginia Fellowship Home, Sir Billy told them: ‘You do grand work. Any time they speak about this stuff they talk about it like
‘People never talk about this’
people are losers and they are dying all over the place.
‘They never talk about this, about people pulling themselves up and getting on with it.’ The majority of those at the therapy centre are treated for addiction to powerful opioid painkillers.
Sir Billy told viewers that 90,000 Americans had died from abusing opioids in the past two years. He said: ‘Make no mistake, this is a middle and working class crisis. The scale of addiction is industrial. There are now over a millionand-a-half Americans addicted to medical and illegal opioids.
‘The numbers are terrifying. It’s a national tragedy.’
The comedian, who gave up drinking 35 years ago, said: ‘I know nothing about the whole drug thing. I’ve smoked a little dope but I’ve never been deeply involved in it.’
Sir Billy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and prostate cancer in 2012. Making light of his health issues, he added: ‘I don’t shake because I’m in need of a fix, I shake because I’ve got Parkinson’s disease.’
Sir Billy has previously spoken of his love of going on fishing trips with his son, and revealed how close they are.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2012, he said: As a family, we are all very loving. We still kiss each other. Jamie is 42 and he still kisses me good night.
‘We’ve just got back from fishing in Mexico. We were staying in two rooms, in a fishing lodge, and at night we would have a cigar and at the end of the evening we’d say “OK, you going to bed? Good night, give us a kiss”.’
For the final part of Sir Billy’s travelogue he returned to the stage to play his beloved banjo. The comedian performed country music classic Will the Circle Be Unbroken at the famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
He announced his retirement from live performance last year, saying the condition had affected his movement on stage.
After Sir Billy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s he moved from New York to Florida as his doctors had advised him to live in a warmer climate.
In the Great American Trail series, Sir Billy follows the route that many Scottish immigrants took in the 18th century.