Eric Idle has issued a health update after being hospitalised for the second time in just three days this week.
The British 83-year-old Monty Python legend, who is now based in Los Angeles, took to social media platform X on Monday to tell fans he believes he’s suffering from gastroenteritis – an inflammation of the stomach and intestines typically caused by a viral or bacterial infection.
He also used the post to thank staff at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles for their care, writing: “So I'd like to thank all the doctors, nurses and staff in the Cedars GI ward for their kindness and help to me today.
“The second time in three days. I think I'm suffering from gastroenteritis. I love you people.”
Fans quickly flooded the comments with messages of support, including: “Get well quickly” and “Praying for you sir.”
According to the NHS, gastroenteritis tends to be self-limiting with most people recovering without complications after rest, hydration, and avoiding solid food temporarily.
Idle’s latest health scare follows his revelation last year that he “shouldn’t be alive” after surviving pancreatic cancer.
The comedian underwent surgery in 2019 after an early diagnosis, which he credits with saving his life.
Reflecting on the experience in an interview with The Times, he said: “I shouldn’t even be here. I’m a lucky bastard and I make the most of every single moment.”
The news had come as a shock — especially given an eerie coincidence. Years earlier, while working on a project titled Death: The Musical, Idle had asked his doctor to recommend a realistic way to kill off a character.
“He told me, ‘Pancreatic cancer — it can take someone in just three weeks,’” he recalled.
A decade later, during routine tests with the same doctor, he heard those exact words again — but this time, they were about him. “I burst out laughing, convinced it had to be a joke,” he said.
Hopefully, Idle will be back to full strength soon, as he’s set to embark on an eight-date tour this autumn titled Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Live, including a stop at London’s Royal Albert Hall on September 28.
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