Terry Jones in cancer battle
Terry Jones was in high spirits at last week's Spamalot West End bow
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Saturday, 21, Oct 2006 12:41
Comic actor and director Terry Jones is in hospital being treated for bowel cancer, according to reports.
The 64-year-old Monty Python star is at a private London clinic awaiting surgery, but doctors are confident that he will make a full recovery due to an early detection, the Daily Mirror says.
His agent Jodi Shield said the father of two was in "great spirits" despite the operation.
"He is having a routine exploratory operation in the next few days. His surgeon is fairly confident - they think they've got it early enough," she said.
Fellow Python star Carol Cleveland told the paper she was "praying" her co-star would be ok.
Jones was informed of the cancer before last week's West End premiere of Eric Idle's Monty Python and the Holy Grail-inspired musical Spamalot, but still attended the photo call.
The actor, who recently filmed a series re-examining medieval history for BBC Two, directed Python films the Life of Brian, The Meaning of Life, as well as the Holy Grail, appearing alongside comic partners in crime Michael Palin, Idle, Terry Gilliam, John Cleese and Graham Chapman.
Chapman himself was a victim to throat cancer in 1989 at the age of just 48.
Bowel cancer claims 16,000 lives every year but if detected early is entirely treatable.