SIR Michael Palin has branded his wife’s NHS treament in her final months “awful”.
The Monty Python star lost Helen Gibbons, 80, to pneumonia and kidney failure in 2023.
He said: “She went into hospital with pneumonia about two months before she died and the hospital experience was pretty awful, I have to say.
“They didn’t have time for anybody. They were rushing around.”
But the 82-year-old added that his wife of 57 years died happy after being transferred to a nearby hospice.
He told the What If podcast: “They listened to what she thought about life, rather than just looking at her stats and saying, ‘You need this, that and the other’.
“She had a great, great time.
“Those four weeks, it’s odd to say, were the happiest of her life.”
He added: “She was very independent and clear-minded about what she wanted to do.
“She was a teacher and then took quite a bit of time off to bring up our three children.
“And then later became a bereavement counsellor and did work with people who are suffering from all sorts of problems after bereavement, which was quite interesting really considering what happened to her in the end.
“You’ve got to be controlled you know.
“Unfortunately people have an appointment which lasts an hour and you want to get to the base of what people are worried about.
“And that often doesn’t come out until 45-50 minutes. Then people really want to talk to you. And you have to say sorry, next week, or something.
“She was quite good at that. She was quite tough.
“She was in pain for about three years, chronic pain with her leg. And that was not nice to see.”
