Billy Connolly at the Los Angeles Premiere of Open Season held at The Greek Theater. Los Angeles, California - 25.09.06

The funnyman decided to scale back and enjoy the simple life when his wife PAMELA STEPHENSON bought a yacht and set sail for the Maltese Islands.

He says, "Gozo's a wee island off Malta and it's kind of agricultural, it's quiet, I sail my boat, play my banjo, read books, smoke cigars.

"My wife bought a big yacht. I had three houses and she bought this (boat)... she went through a kind of mid-life, desperate cry for help thing and sailed off.

"I really couldn't bear the weight of the whole exercise - the three houses and the big yacht, so I sold one of the houses."

But Connolly insists he'll always keep a home in Scotland - even though he can't bear the brutal winters in his baronial house in the Grampians.

He adds, "The winter's, like, a year long... You know what Scotland needs? A bit more global warming. You should share the global warming around."

Source: WENN