There are always those top 10 lists of things to do before you die and people always say swim with a dolphin or ‘bungee into a shark’s mouth’ – ludicrous thrill-seeking cobblers. We spoke about art, football, music, everything, then right at the end I asked how things were with his wife and he said ‘not good actually’ and got a taxi.”Īs a result, he has trained himself to be better at those conversations. He explained: “I remember a friend asked to speak about getting divorced. He added that men are especially bad at talking about serious subjects. I might have had a standing ovation at the Royal Opera House but the next day I’m fretting about the next gig. You have to be quite sanguine about it and think: ‘That was a good gig, but who knows what’s around the corner?’ You can’t take your eye off it. Trying to make people laugh, year-in-year-out. He drummed that into me like a mantra as we walked around the fields of Hertfordshire.'īailey continued: “It’s a reckless endeavour, really. The only thing we can control is how we react to it. 'I remember on our walks he would say that what he had gathered was that you can’t change much about life. His way of dealing with was to read the Stoic philosophers. This is a present for his wife.Ĭomedian Sean Lock died at the age of 58 on August 16 after suffering from lung cancer I used to collect butterflies, so it’s one of those things I know about. On the way down we saw a butterfly and he asked me what it was. Then last year he was quite ill, but he wanted to go up, so we went to the top. Inside of the comic's shed, which has a recording studio, there was a pad of white paper, on which Bailey had written “Marbled White” dozens of times and next to it was a framed pencil drawing of the marbled white butterfly.īailey said: “There’s a place called Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire, It’s a place Sean and I loved, and we used to go up there with our families. Read more: Meet the Somerset toddler accepted to MENSA at just three years-oldĪs a result, he's vowed to improve on opening up. Talking about how going out on walks has helped him, Bailey explained: 'Strolling along, chatting about difficult subjects, is easier than having a sit-down chat about it.” The Telegraph reported that 'walking into Bailey’s studio feels a bit like walking into his mind.' It occupies the ground floor of a townhouse in Hammersmith.

As of January this year, the walk has raised more than £160,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

In between breaks from their schedules, they would go on long rambles around the countryside together. In August last year, Bailey, 52, completed a seven-day, 100-mile walk in Devon, setting off from Bude to Combe Martin, to mark the anniversary of Lock’s death. It’s a Christmas present for Anoushka Nara Giltsoff, the widow of Bailey’s good friend and fellow comedian Sean Lock, who died from lung cancer in August 2021. Inside the comedian's house he has a framed pencil drawing of the marbled white butterfly. Somerset comedian Bill Bailey has shared how walking with friends has helped him 'open up' about difficult subjects.

Sean lock funeral