Terry Jones 'still here' despite dementia, says Eric Idle

Terry Jones's dementia has not got to the stage where he has become unhappy and unaware of who he is, his Monty Python co-star Eric Idle has said.

"It doesn't seem to me that he's unhappy," Idle told the Radio Times. "He hasn't forgotten who he is, yet. Terry's still here. He's not gone."

Earlier this year it was announced that the 73-year-old has primary progressive aphasia, a severe variant of dementia.

"It's been coming on for about five or six years," Idle revealed.

"We've all known about it. I was only happy that we managed to do the Monty Python shows at the O2 while we could still get him through it."

Jones and Idle performed a series of shows with John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin at the London arena in 2014.

"We said, 'Look, Terry, don't worry, we're going to get you through this,'" said Idle. "'We're all in this together.'"

Idle went on to say Jones's condition was "becoming noticeable" last year and that he was "glad" his illness had been made public.

Idle will be seen on BBC Two this Christmas in The Entire Universe, a comedy special co-starring Professor Brian Cox.

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