Sir Michael Palin is still unable to walk unaided more than a month after a fall at home left him with broken ribs. The Monty Python star, 83, cracked his pelvis and broke three ribs when he fell in his bathroom in October.
Recovery Update on Instagram
The injuries forced him to scrap a series of appearances, among them his In The Philippines travel book tour. Sir Michael gave fans an update on Instagram, posting a photograph of himself standing in a disabled road bay.
The actor wrote: "It’s now exactly a month since I thudded to my bathroom floor – returning from a pee at 3.30 in the morning. I still can’t walk without a Zimmer."
Joking About His Condition
He added: "The laughs are all on me. Zimmers were used in Monty Python when we wanted to play slow-moving elderly people. Now I’m an elderly person for real, having to move very slowly as I have three broken ribs and a cracked pelvis. Bones take time to heal and I’m probably doomed to play this particular Python character for a few weeks more."
Recovery, he said, involves a "stack of books" to read, plus screen time in front of the spy thriller Slow Horses and This City Is Ours.
Looking Ahead
Sir Michael also referenced a well-loved Monty Python sketch he performed with John Cleese, adding: "If things get really low, the Fish Slapping Dance."
He said: "I promise not to go to the bathroom ever again, and I shall try and find some other show dates next year. Thank you all for your patience. Here’s to the next time."
Sir Michael announced his fall in October, saying: "My accident was quite unsensational, a slip in the family bathroom where I’ve walked for 58 years. I fell heavily on my left side resulting in three fractured ribs and a minor pelvic fracture. The recovery of bone fractures takes a long time, especially when you’re 83."
Making light of the incident with a nod to a famous Monty Python sketch featuring John Cleese, he added: "It was a comedy fall with no audience there to see it. I shall stick to fish slapping dances from now on."
Sir Michael signed off: "Sincere apologies to everyone who has already put in a lot of work on the tour. I’d also like to say a huge thanks to the NHS for their incredible care."
