John Cleese reveals £17,000-a-year battle to stay young: 'I think it’s worth it'

John Cleese has revealed that he has spent £17,000 every year for the past 20 years on a stem cell therapy to combat aging.

The Monty Python star, 84, spoke candidly about his health in a new cover interview with Saga Magazine’s May issue.

Speaking to the outlet, the TV star admitted that he travels to Switzerland to undergo the treatment, which helps repair cells in his body, every 12 to 18 months for an eye-watering £17,000.

“You must get the highest quality stem cells – the ones I have are from a place in Montreux, Switzerland, called La Prairie,” he shared.

“If you’re buying yourself a few extra years, I think it’s worth it.”

He added of the therapy: “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 that repair, so they might become cartilage cells or liver cells.

“So I think that’s why I don’t look bad for 84.”

In the same interview, Cleese addressed his 32-year age gap with wife Jennifer Wade, 52, who he married in 2012 on the Caribbean island Mustique.

Defending their relationship, he said: “A lot of people comment and then the moment they actually see us together for two minutes they say, ‘Oh, I get it’, and it never arises again.”

“What I love is that she’s 30 years younger than I am, but she keeps me young.”

While their romance continues to go from strength-to-strength, the Faulty Towers star admitted he wishes he had more time with his other half.

“I mean, it is sad to think I shall die some time before she will, but I’m in pretty good health,” Cleese admitted.

“I’m not fit, but the way I put it is that the doctors don’t yet know what I’m going to die of.”