Michael Palin cancels tour for surgery to fix 'leaky valve' in heart

Michael Palin has announced that he is having surgery to fix a "leaky valve" in his heart

The Comedian and broadcaster, also a member of Monty Python, revealed that he discovered a problem with his mitral valve - a small flap that stops blood flowing the wrong way around the heart - five years ago.

The star, who was forced to cancel his book to tour for the surgery, said that the condition had not affected his general fitness until earlier this year.

"Recently, though, I have felt my heart having to work harder and have been advised it's time to have the valve repaired," he wrote on his website.

"I shall be undergoing surgery in September and should be back to normal, or rather better than normal, within three months."

A leaking mitral valve - known as mitral regurgitation - can cause dizziness, breathlessness, tiredness and chest pain, and can potentially lead to an irregular and fast heartbeat, high blood pressure and heart failure, according to the NHS,

Earlier in July, the 76-year-old finished a tour to promote his non-fiction book about HMS Erebus, a ship that voyaged to both the Arctic and Antarctic in the 19th Century.

Just last month, Michael received a knighthood from Prince William at Buckingham Palace and joked that he ‘will probably be the only’ Monty Python star to be bestowed with the honour.

He was recently announced as the executive producer on five new BBC Radio 4 programmes marking Monty Python's 50th anniversary in October.