Michael Palin reveals his wife’s death was ‘like losing a limb’ in heartbreaking admission

Over a year on from the tragic passing of his beloved wife, Monty Python star Michael Palin has opened up about his devastating loss, likening it to “losing a limb”.

Palin announced the heartbreaking news of his wife’s death in May 2023 which came mere weeks after the loving couple celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary.

Now in a recent interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Palin opened up about navigating life without his wife, Helen, while revealing that he still hears her voice guiding him.

“It’s like you’re a unit, and suddenly you are not a unit any longer, and it’s a bit like losing a bit of a limb, you’re not quite sure where you are,” he revealed.

“I do hear her and she had a great sense of humour. Sometimes I will have done something and I’ll get back and tell her about it.

“Although she’s not there, I know her reply and it makes me smile.

“I find myself idiotically in the sitting room on my own going ‘Oh yes!’ So that’s good.”

Palin also disclosed that his wife still serves as a source of motivation and inspiration, helping him to continue to move forward.

“It’s been just over a year but I get on with work, that’s the thing,” he said.

“And I hear Helen saying ‘Get on with it, go on, stop messing about’.”

Fans were quick to rally around Palin last year when he took to his website to announce the tragic passing of his “dearest wife”, rallying around the beloved star as he navigated the difficult period.

“My dearest wife Helen died peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday morning. She had been suffering with chronic pain for several years, which was compounded a few years ago by a diagnosis of kidney failure,” he wrote at the time.

“We first met on a summer holiday on the Suffolk coast when we were both sixteen and we married in our early twenties. Two and a half weeks ago we celebrated our 57th wedding anniversary.

“Her death is an indescribable loss for myself, our three children and four grandchildren.

“Helen was the bedrock of my life. Her quietly wise judgment informed all my decisions and her humour and practical good sense was at the heart of our life together.

“The family ask that their privacy be respected at this time.”

The couple married in 1966 after meeting on holiday in Suffolk in 1959. The couple have three children, Thomas (born 1969), William (born 1971), and Rachel (born 1975), and four grandchildren.

Palin rose to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the comedy group Monty Python, which produced some of the most iconic and groundbreaking comedy shows and films of all time. In addition to his work with Monty Python, Palin has had a successful solo career as a writer and presenter of travel documentaries, including Around the World in 80 Days, Pole to Pole, Full Circle, and Himalaya.