Jules Gozo Holidays

Gozo’s the best medicine for Billy Connolly

He’s been advised to “fuel up” on vitamin D ahead of a gruelling new tour. So the Big Yin has spent the entire summer holidaying on Gozo.

I sail my boat, read books, smoke cigars

If you were enjoying your Gozo holiday earlier this year and thought you saw someone familiar. Or if you heard a distinctive Scots burr and thought ‘I know that voice’, then chances are you had a close encounter with actor, writer, presenter, singer and legendary comedian Billy Connolly. I discovered this first when I bumped (almost literally) into him when I was leaving my local Chinese restaurant, Pings in Victoria.

As celebrity anecdotes go, that’s pretty much it - we exchanged a brief hello as we passed - but my memory of the event was jogged by seeing an article in the press recently. In 2013, Connolly was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. It doesn’t stop him doing what he always did (albeit at a slightly less frenetic pace) but his doctors advised that he plan more downtime between jobs. With a gruelling 25 date stand up tour now underway, Connolly took their advice, retreating to what the Daily Express called “his secret bolt hole”. "Gozo is a wee island off Malta and it's quiet. I sail my boat, read books, smoke cigars," he said. He’s hoping that a summer of Gozo sunshine will have helped to temper the effects of his condition. And once the tour is done, he’ll be returning to his Gozo villa.

We don’t blame him... want to find your peaceful retreat? Explore our Gozo villas and farmhouses here.