Billy Connolly has made a harrowing admission about death as he opened up about his ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease.

The comedian, 81, was diagnosed with the degenerative condition in 2013 and on the same day was also told he had prostate cancer - which he later got the all clear from.

And in a frank new interview, Billy told that after coming to terms with his illness, he finally sees the funny side to death.

Speaking to The Mirror, the Scottish star heartbreakingly confessed that after 'confronting' the reality of his situation, he came to the realisation that death was not 'a big thing.'

Reflecting on his 'funny week' in which he got a double diagnosis, he said: 'On the Monday, I had hearing aids. On the Tuesday I got pills for heart burn, which I have to take all the time, and on the Wednesday I got news that I had prostate cancer and Parkinson's.'

But while most people would no doubt crumble at the news, Billy made light of the situation by joking that no one had said that to him before, while his wife Pamela Stephenson was on hand to give him a heartfelt hug.

The star then joked that he probably got the disease following his several appearances on Michael Parkinson's chat show, before that noting he just 'confronted' the reality of having the condition instead of wallowing in self-pity.

He said: 'I just thought "I have got Parkinson's. I wish he (Michael) had kept it to himself!" It was easy (making fun if it). You just confront it and make decisions based on it. You just have to think "Don't think you are being badly treated (in life) or you have the bad pick of the straws. You are one of millions". Just behave yourself and relax.'

Speaking forthrightly about the concept of dying, he added: 'You then realise it (death) is not the big thing everyone has made it out to be. It is nothing. It is just a sudden nothing.'

Earlier this year, Billy issued a health update in which he said being sick feels 'strange'. 

He told GB News in February: 'Being unwell is strange. Everybody else is OK and you've got this thing that's wrong... you're out of step.' 

Billy revealed he has suffered 'serious falls' as the symptoms of his Parkinson's disease worsen.

In an interview, conducted by his wife Pamela Stephenson, he admitted his balance is getting worse – causing him to suffer what she described as 'a couple of serious falls'.

The Glaswegian explained how the disease was creeping up on him, saying: 'It's very difficult to see the progression exactly, because a lot of things come and go.

'Recently I've noticed a deterioration in my balance. That was never such a problem before, but in the last year that has come and it has stayed.

'For some reason, I thought it would go away, because a lot of symptoms have come and gone away... just to defy the symptom spotters. The shaking has reappeared.'

Nicknamed the Big Yin, Connolly worked as a welder in the Glasgow shipyards before starting a career as a folk singer. When he discovered that the audience enjoyed his banter between songs more than the songs themselves he swapped to comedy.

Throughout the 1970s, his anarchic and expletive-laden humour catapulted him to global fame.

He later starred in a string of films and presented a long list of TV shows.

His illness means he no longer performs live, but in recent years he has successfully channelled his creativity into art.

In an interview with The Guardian, he joked that tremors were helping his latest venture.

He said: 'What I find is that sometimes I get little gifts. When I'm fed up with shaking, I try drawing while shaking and the wriggly lines make it turn out nice.'