Sir Michael Palin's five-word death admission as he reflects on life

Monty Python star Sir Michael Palin made an admission about death during an in-depth interview about his upbringing, career and advice. The 82-year-old shared what would improve his life as part of the Q&A with New Statesman, where he revealed: "The reversal of Brexit. I am somebody who much prefers a world without self-inflicted barriers."

He also said he would be a "reporter" if he could choose a career in another life. "What I would have done-and nearly have done-was become a reporter," the star shared.

In a deeper part of the interview, Sir Michael was asked the question: "Are we all doomed?" The actor and travel enthusiast replied with a death confession where he said: "Well, only if you believe in hell. We're all going to die, but seeing that as being doomed? I'm unsure about that."

The unearthed interview was conducted in 2024, just a year after the passing of his wife, Helen Gibbins. Sir Michael was married to her for 57 years before she succumbed to chronic kidney disease at the age of 80, in May 2023.

Sir Michael wrote a heartbreaking statement about her death on his website following her passing, which read: "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.

"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."

He said her death was an "indescribable loss" for himself as well as their three children, Thomas, William and Rachel, and four grandchildren.

"Helen was the bedrock of my life," Sir Michael added. "Her quietly wise judgment informed all my decisions, and her humour and practical good sense were at the heart of our life together."