Sheffield-born comic legend Sir Michael Palin to undergo heart surgery

Michael Palin. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

The Monty Python member, who was born in Ranmoor, will go under the knife to fix a ‘leaky valve’.

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Sir Michael said doctors discovered a problem with his mitral valve - a small flap that stops blood flowing the wrong way around the heart - five years ago.

It had not affected his general fitness until earlier this year.

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

"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 can cause dizziness, breathlessness, tiredness and chest pain, and can potentially lead to an irregular and fast heartbeat, high blood pressure and heart failure.

The 76-year-old has cancelled a book tour scheduled for October to promote his North Korea Journal, a spin-off from his recent Channel 5 documentary about the country.

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

Palin was one of the six-strong troupe who revolutionised comedy in the 1960s and 70s, and later became known for his globetrotting TV documentaries.