Eric Idle was hospitalised for the second time in three days this week

Eric Idle was hospitalised for the second time in three days this week.

The Monty Python legend suspects he has Gastroenteritis - inflammation of the stomach and intestines, typically caused by a viral or bacterial infection - and thanked the medical staff at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai for their "kindness and help".

He penned to X on Monday (16.05.25): "So I'd like to thank all the doctors nurses and staff in the Cedars GI ward for their kindness and help to me today. The second time in three days. I think I’m suffering from Gastroenteritis. I love you people."

Last year, Idle admitted he "shouldn't be alive".

The 82-year-old comedian underwent surgery after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019, and was thankful the disease was caught early as he now enjoys "every moment" of his life.

Asked if having cancer had changed him, he told The Times newspaper: “Oh, I shouldn’t be alive. I’m a lucky b****** and I enjoy every moment.”

He initially thought his doctor was joking when he broke the news of his diagnosis.

He said: “I had been working on a project called ‘Death: The Musical’ and I asked my doctor which type of cancer I could use to finish off one of my characters. He said, ‘Pancreatic cancer, it can finish people off in three weeks.’”

Ten years later, Eric had routine tests with the same doctor and queried an ominous-looking blood result.

The British-born funnyman added: “He said, ‘Pancreatic cancer’ and I burst out laughing because I thought he must be joking."