Bill Oddie: Comedian who found nature a welcome refuge from mental illness
“I was stunned at the time.” In an interview in 2015 he said, external With Independent.
“But a year later, I was diagnosed with bipolar. I thought back. If I had known then what I know now, I would have accepted that I was going through a manic episode.”
The audience missed him. Before he left, the show averaged 3.19 million. After he left, that figure dropped to 2.55 million.
Oddie later revealed that his condition led him to try to take his own life.
In 2020, he announced that he had become seriously ill as a result of lithium poisoning, a treatment aimed at stabilizing his mood.
He later posted on social media, “The last few years have been very bad for me.
“I lost my enthusiasm, but I’m still here.”
His outside interests included music. He once had a spell as a radio DJ playing jazz and had a collection of thousands of CDs at home.
Oddie was also a passionate supporter of the Green Party and spent his time and fame supporting wildlife charities such as the RSPB.
His marriage to musician Jean Hart in 1967 ended in divorce. In 1983, he married Laura Beaumont, who had previously worked with him on many projects.
Oddie was a true sage; He was a man who seemed to achieve everything he turned his hand to.
But it was the conservation work that gave him the most satisfaction. “Wildlife,” he said, “has been a refuge for a long time; probably more than I thought.”
