Terry JonesFormer Monty Python star Terry Jones has been diagnosed with bowel cancer and will have surgery this week, according to his agent.

Terry has been admitted to a private London hospital for treatment and doctors are confident he will beat the disease because it was discovered early.

His agent, Jodi Shield, confirmed: “He is having a routine exploratory operation in the next few days. His surgeon is fairly confident - they think they’ve got it early enough. He’s in great spirits. We’re having to make him stop working.”

Terry was told about his condition last week, just days before the West End premiere of the Monty Python musica Spamalot but still attended the debut performance and posted for photographs with fellow former co-stars Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam.