The actor, 79, said his “dearest wife” of 57 years died in the early hours of Tuesday in a heart-breaking post on his website.

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In a statement on his website, the Monty Python star wrote: “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.

“Her death is an indescribable loss for myself, our three children and four grandchildren.

“Helen was the bedrock of my life. Her quietly wise judgment informed all my decisions and her humour and practical good sense was was at the heart of our life together.

“The family ask that their privacy be respected at this time.”