John Cleese confessed: “I don’t have a house or a car” after donating his final piece of property to his wife Jennifer Wade. The comedy star has now gone from owning six properties to not having a single one left in his name after his divorce from third wife Alyce Faye Eichelberger, which left him with a loss of £15million.
The star explained to The Times: “The third wife got two properties, one was in London and one was in New York, and we had to sell the other three. I’ve actually given the flat behind Peter Jones to Jennifer, so I don’t have a house, I don’t have a car.” He went on to joke: “What’s the difference between a famous singer and a famous comedian? About $200million.”
John handed the keys to the flat over to Jennifer, 53, so she would feel “secure”, explaining: “I think if they [women] have a property, they know that I can’t kick her out… it’s taken anxiety away from her that I think she wasn’t totally aware of.”
The star admits he “lives in hotel rooms” while touring and working around the world, but confessed he “lost his nest egg” at the age of 70. Now 85, John has an estimated net worth of around £8million, but said he needs to keep working to be able to afford his lifestyle.
Numerous costly divorces set him back, with the Monty Python star having spent around £25million on break-ups from his three ex-wives. He was first married to Connie Booth from 1968 until 1978, before he tied the knot with Barbara Trentham in 1981, calling it quits in 1990. His marriage to Alyce lasted from 1992 until 2008.
Still, he admitted to spending £17,000 each year on stem cell treatment to keep himself looking young and buy him “a few extra years”. He claimed to Saga Magazine last year: “These cells travel around the body and when they discover a place that needs repair, they’ll then change into the cells that you want for repair, so they might become cartilage cells or liver cells. So I think that’s why I don’t look bad for 84.”
He’s been candid about his money problems in the past, telling ShowTALK: “I never understand money and I don’t find it very interesting, which is a real disadvantage in the world that we live in. I advise anybody who is a bit vague about it to become less vague because it has cost me a lot.
“I never knew how much money I had. I remember in America someone asked me where my investments were and I said,‘I have no idea at all.’ I have just relied on people and in one or two cases that has been very good, but in one or two others, it has been disastrous.”
