credit: Life of Brian
Eric Idle is a man who does a little bit of everything. From being part of the Monty Python comedy group to being a major motion picture star to working endless hours on stage, his talent speaks for itself. However, his recent appearance at the Palm Springs Film Awards in January of 2023 has everyone talking. He reunited with a former costar for the first time in more than 34 years, and it was a special moment. Idle starred in an 80s movie called The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which was a traumatic experience for everyone. Now that this story has come to light, the world wants to know everything about Idle.
1. How Old is Eric Idle?
Idle was born on March 29, 1943, in South Shields. South Shields is located in County Durham, which is located in England. He wouldn’t get to know his father because he was killed when Idle was only two. His father served in the Royal Air Force, and he was serving during the second world war. It wasn’t the war that took his life, though. It was an accident. His father was headed home for Christmas in 1945 to spend the holiday with his family, but he was hitchhiking in the meantime. He was killed in a road accident, which we assume means he was hit by a car.
He did not know his mother well, either. His mother’s depression following the death of her husband was too much. She was lost to him, and his grandmother raised him. His mother’s depression did now allow her to return to full-time parenting (or working or dealing with), so she sent him to boarding school. The school was especially for kids who lost their parents, whether one or both.
2. Boarding School Was Hell for Eric Idle
On the one hand, a charitable school created for the sole purpose of educating children and providing them with a place to live after the death of a parent seems lovely. However, imagine being part of a school where every single child was dealing with the loss of one or both parents. It was a terrible place, and Idle was miserable, surrounded by people like that. He was bullied and physically abused, and it was unpleasant. He said it helped him learn to deal with his issues by becoming funny and smart. The school was boring for him, but he was smart enough to end up accepted into Cambridge.
credit: Life of Brian
3. He’s Been Married Twice
Idle is a man who has been married for a long time. However, his current wife is also his second wife. He married another actress in 1969. Her name is Lyn Ashley. Though their marriage was not long, they did welcome a son. Carey was born in 1973, and his parents divorced in 1975. Two years after his divorce, Idle met a model. Her name is Tania Kosevich. They dated for four years before they got married in 1981. They’ve now been married for almost 42 years. They welcomed a daughter nine years into their marriage.
4. Is Eric Idle an Atheist?
He is, but don’t call him one. He prefers to use the term ‘holds atheist views’ rather than an atheist. His opinion is that calling himself an atheist “implies that there’s a God to not believe in.” He believes that there is no God and that there are no deities outside of the realm of existence that we currently know. He doesn’t talk about his personal feelings on religion, but he is also very adamant about his feelings.
credit: Life of Brian
5. Does Eric Idle Have Cancer?
Sadly, Idle announced that he was diagnosed with cancer in 2019. His doctors discovered he was living with pancreatic cancer, but they found it quite early. As a result of this early discovery, his doctors were able to remove cancer and save his life successfully. The tumor was removed in a complicated surgery. Because of the success of the surgery, his doctors did not need to do any treatment on Idle to rid him of any additional cancerous cells. At the moment, he is cancer free.
Despite the fact that it was all removed, there is always a chance it might return. Even with a successful cancer removal surgery, there is always a chance that some cells remain in the body simply because they are too small to see. This is not always the case, but we imagine Idle goes to the doctor on a regular basis to check for a possible return.
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