Michael Palin opens up on painful grief after death of wife Helen: ‘A great sort of emptiness comes in’

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In a new interview with The Sunday Times, broadcaster and comedian Palin spoke of the “great sort of emptiness” he has experienced in the wake of Gibbins’ death, which occurred just weeks after the couple’s 57th wedding anniversary. “A great sort of emptiness comes in.” Palin, 80, said that his wife had relied on dialysis for “so many years” in order to “keep her alive”, explaining that she eventually “took the decision, along with the children and the doctors, to give it up”. “The children and grandchildren had all come to see her, so her death was a great deliverance for her.” The comedy legend also revealed that he had experienced a full circle moment when he had to register Gibbins’ death, during which he saw a couple with a young baby at the registry office. “And I thought, yes, that’s it, a new person – one in, one out.” Michael Palin with his wife Helen Announcing Gibbins’ death on his website in May, Palin shared a heartbreaking statement in which he hailed her as “the bedrock of my life”.