Eddie Izzard has stunned fans by revealing a hidden talent - the ability to fly a plane.
The 62-year-old comedian and actor - who also goes by the name Suzy Izzard and came out as transgender in 2019 - has explained that they decided to learn how to get to grips in the cockpit as a way of confronting fear. Eddie was a guest on the BBC weekend breakfast show Saturday Kitchen when they shared the surprise news with host Donal Skehan.
The star was on the panel primarily to promote her new one-woman, a solo production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and to sample the dishes being whipped up by the chefs on the show. Conversation took a surprising turn when Eddie was confronted with a dish containing ricotta cheese.
The stand-up admitted she is “scared” of cheese but then gamely had a test of the dish. Eddie then explained she has been working to confront fears since coming out as transgender - and even took up pilot lessons in order to face fears of in-flight turbulence.
Opening up on the show, Eddie said: "I'm scared of cheese, but I'll try it. I'm here to try things. Having come out as trans four years ago, I had to push back a lot of fear in my life."
She then explained: "I learned to fly because I was scared of flying, so I have a pilot's licence. I pushed back on fear. You know, like, bumpy air. I used to be very scared of the bumpy air. But it's just like bumpy road, but it's in the air. So I got the hang of it."
While her confession left show host Donal gobsmacked, viewers watching along were also stunned by Eddie’s revelations - and championed her as a star guest of the show. One fan, commenting on Instagram, wrote: “So good to see @eddieizzard on television again. We need more of her on shows. Great food, great conversation and stories. Fantastic.” While another wrote: “Eddie was fabulous what a brilliant guest.”
Eddie’s performances of Hamlet are running at the Riverside Studios in London until the end of June. The show has already enjoyed acclaim in New York where the show won rave reviews and saw an initial run extended three times. Throughout the one-person production, Eddie takes on both male and female roles - and also performs as “ghosts, scholars, tyrants, courtiers, lovers, fools and poets”.
Explaining her love for the Shakespeare play previously, Eddie said: “I have always gravitated towards playing complex and challenging characters and Hamlet is the ultimate. This is a production for everyone, a timeless drama with an accidental hero. Selina, Mark and I want audiences to see and hear an accessible, touching, scary and dramatic Hamlet.”
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