Billy Connolly has secretly been suffering from an operational form of prostate cancer, which he successfully managed to control following a procedure under the knife in an American specialist hospital. The success of his operation was a great moment for the Big Yin, but only moments after he was visited by doctors again, who this time told the Scottish comic that he is suffering from Parkinsons disease, the BBC reported.

Billy Connolly
Connolly made a full recovery from his cancer surgery

The former welder-turned folk singer made a "full recovery" from his prostate cancer surgery and "the operation was a total success," his spokeswoman revealed earlier this week. She added that Billy was lucky to find the cancer at a very early stage of it's development, a factor that would have helped with the procedure. The spokeswoman then added, "In addition, Billy has been assessed as having the initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease, for which he is receiving the appropriate treatment."

According to the rest of the statement form Billy's rep, the star has no plan on letting his battle with his own mortality get in the way of his work, as he has vowed to remain active and keep on working. His spokeswoman continued, "he will start filming a TV series in the near future, as well as undertaking an extensive theatrical tour of New Zealand in the new year."

Billy Connolly BAFTAs
With the right treatment and state of mind, Parkinsons can be a manageable disease

According to Billy's friend Bob Geldof, the Mrs Brown star is as strong as an ox and fit as a fiddle despite his recent health scares. He told Channel 5 News: "He's helped me lots in my endeavours. Pam and Bill are great mates. He's as strong as an ox mentally from everything he's been through as a kid. So I don't think this will deter him from being that individual that we know."

As well as the TV series and tour of New Zealand that his rep alluded to, Billy is also one of the cast in The Hobbit film, playing a dwarf warrior in the second and third instalments of the film. He will keep his role and begin filming his scenes for the third instalment of the series in the near future. We sincerely hope that Billy is able to cope with his current health problems and can continue making the most of life.

Billy Connolly London
Billy will try to continue life as normal