JOHN CLEESE

The A Fish Called Wanda star, 68, is facing a multi-million dollar pay out to Alyce Faye Eichelberger following their split earlier this year (08) after 16 years of marriage.

Cleese is currently paying out just over $1.64 million (GBP1 million) a year to his estranged wife until they reach a divorce settlement. She is also entitled to half of his earnings since their 1992 marriage and half of his nine properties across the world.

He says, "People would think I'd have enough money (to retire), but I do have a very expensive, or comparatively expensive, divorce.

"When I divorced (second wife) Barbara (Trentham) in about '88 that cost me GBP2.5 million ($4.1 million) then. And now this divorce with Alyce Faye - I mean, I'm paying more than GBP1 million a year right now. And we never had children.

"I feel angry sometimes. But my anger is not so much about sharing the property but having to go on working hard to provide alimony for someone who's already going to have at least $10 million (GBP6 million) worth of property, and who's getting GBP1 million this year.

"At some point, you say, 'Well, what did I do wrong? You know, I was the breadwinner.' The system is insane."

And, although Cleese claims to be happy single, he admits the pressure of the divorce proceedings is wearing him down.

He adds, "It's about the fact that in my 70th year I will still be spending two months a year doing work that is of no interest to me and which is probably slightly spiritually depleting, in order to feed the beast.

"(But) this is the happiest I have ever been and I feel that, at 68 now, I want as many years as I can get."

Source: WENN