Michael Palin bursts into tears while speaking about late wife

Michael Palin, renowned for his work as both a writer and TV presenter, recently opened up about losing his wife, Helen of 57 years.

Speaking to The Irish Times about his wife, Palin talked about the relationship and bond they shared, noting: "It didn’t all have to be stated why we’d like this or that. We didn’t have to say a lot. It was just there. So knowing that she had two weeks to live, somehow everything that had been part of our relationship made it much easier to deal with her departure.”

The 80-year-old former Python and veteran TV traveler expressed his sorrow and grief following his wife’s death, noting: “I’d love Helen to still be here, telling me off.”

The writer further added: “Helen was quite clear that if I didn’t do this I’d be sort of moodily staring across the kitchen table at someone else doing it. She knew I’d be happier if I did the travels and avoided staying at home.”

Palin, who is looking forward to his new three-part TV series about Nigeria, first met his wife in 1959 during a family trip to Southwold in Suffolk, when the TV presenter was 15 and his beloved wife was 16 years old.

His wife, Helen, who died of kidney failure at the age of 80, served as a teacher and later as a bereavement counselor.

For the unversed, Michael Palin in Nigeria is slated to begin on Tuesday, April 16 on Channel 5.