Johnny Vegas, who is set to appear on The Weakest Link this Saturday (January 31), once made an emotional admission about the pain of losing his father, revealing he struggled to come to terms with the grief after his death.
In a powerful 2017 interview, Johnny heartbreakingly opened up about losing his dad, Laurence Pennington, to cancer.
Johnny Vegas opens up about grief after losing father
Speaking on Loose Women in September 2017, Johnny bravely admitted, “I haven’t dealt with it, I haven’t mourned him yet. I’ve got no idea what mourning is.
I haven’t had the cry yet. In fact, I’m angry at him for going as quickly as he did.”
Johnny’s father passed away in March 2017, after his cancer returned suddenly following years in remission. The diagnosis came as a shock, leaving the family little time to prepare.
“We were told it was going to be quite soon,” Johnny explained. “We all went into a tailspin and wanted to care for him at home.”
Tearing up during the segment, Johnny confessed he still struggles to accept the loss.
“I don’t accept his death. I’m angry I don’t think about him on a daily basis, but I don’t want to accept he’s gone.
I thought it would be two weeks of crying and then I’d go back to normal. But it doesn’t, because he was such a fundamental part of my life. When they’re gone, there’s a gap you can’t fill.”
The Benidorm and Carry On Glamping star also praised Macmillan Cancer Support for their help during his father’s final days, bringing along a giant rainbow cake during the show to promote the charity’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning campaign.
Johnny’s health journey
Since losing his father, Johnny has been candid about his health journey, revealing he’s lost over five stone through steady lifestyle changes. At his heaviest, the comic weighed 18 stone.
“I haven’t done a diet in any way whatsoever,” he told Loose Women. “I’ve cut out things. It’s a lifestyle change. Then you can live with it, and you don’t feel like you’re denying yourself anything, apart from cheese!”
The Merseyside-born comedian said the change was motivated by his father’s death.
“If you had a good parent and you miss them, your responsibility then is to hopefully try and be a decent parent to your own children, and be around,” he previously said on This Morning.
“It’s taken 15 months of walking past bread and cheese and everything I love!”
Johnny says his focus is on health and longevity, and quitting smoking remains his next big goal.
Are you a fan of Johnny Vegas? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of this story.