Connolly married Iris Pressagh in 1969.
They separated in 1981 and divorced in 1985.

On 30 December 1985, Connolly became teetotal, having been an alcoholic. "
I don't miss drinking.
It has taken me by surprise," Connolly stated 24 years later. "
I miss the craic.
I miss the joy of it all.
The headbanging stupidity, the loveliness, the craziness of it.
I miss it terribly."
He recalls blackouts that he would fill in upon returning to sobriety. "
Well, [the memories] stopped coming back.
But when I drank, I would go, 'Oh, I remember now.'"
Psychologists call it state-dependent learning. "
That was frightening.
I remember thinking, 'Beware, Billy boy.
Beware.
All is not well.
Do something.'"
Regarding the decision he made to stay sober: "If [Pamela] goes away, I'm on my own.
There's nothing.
There's only me and it.
So the choice becomes very apparent."

In 1986, he visited Mozambique to appear in a documentary for Comic Relief.
He also featured in the charity's inaugural live stage show, both as a stand-up and portraying a willing "victim" in his partner Pamela Stephenson's act of sawing a man in half to create two dwarfs.
Connolly completed his first world tour in 1987, including six nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which was documented in the Billy and Albert video.
In March 1988, his father died after a stroke, the eighth of his life.
His mother died five years later, in 1993, of motor neurone disease.

Connolly and Stephenson married in Fiji on 20 December 1989: he had been living with her since 1981. "
Marriage to Pam didn't change me; it saved me," he later said. "
I was going to die.
I was on a downwards spiral and enjoying every second of it.
Not only was I dying, but I was looking forward to it."

In the book Billy (and in a December 2008 online interview), Connolly states he was sexually abused by his father between the ages of ten and fifteen.
He believes this was a result of the Catholic Church not allowing his father to divorce after his mother left the family.
Because of this, Connolly has a "deep distrust and dislike of the Catholic church and any other organisation that brainwashes people".
He has called himself an atheist.

In September 2013, Connolly underwent minor surgery for early-stage prostate cancer.
The announcement also stated that he was being treated for the initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Connolly had acknowledged earlier in 2013 that he had started to forget his lines during performances.
In January 2019, he disclosed that its advance may force his retirement from performing.

Connolly appeared on the BBC's genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are?
on 2 October 2014, in which he discovered his Indian ancestry.

Connolly is father to five children: two from his first marriage and three from his second.
He became a grandfather in 2001, when his daughter Cara gave birth to Walter.
Connolly married Iris Pressagh in 1969. They separated in 1981 and divorced in 1985.
On 30 December 1985, Connolly became teetotal, having been an alcoholic. "I don't miss drinking. It has taken me by surprise," Connolly stated 24 years later. "I miss the craic. I miss the joy of it all. The headbanging stupidity, the loveliness, the craziness of it. I miss it terribly." He recalls blackouts that he would fill in upon returning to sobriety. "Well, [the memories] stopped coming back. But when I drank, I would go, 'Oh, I remember now.'" Psychologists call it state-dependent learning. "That was frightening. I remember thinking, 'Beware, Billy boy. Beware. All is not well. Do something.'" Regarding the decision he made to stay sober: "If [Pamela] goes away, I'm on my own. There's nothing. There's only me and it. So the choice becomes very apparent."
In 1986, he visited Mozambique to appear in a documentary for Comic Relief. He also featured in the charity's inaugural live stage show, both as a stand-up and portraying a willing "victim" in his partner Pamela Stephenson's act of sawing a man in half to create two dwarfs. Connolly completed his first world tour in 1987, including six nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which was documented in the Billy and Albert video. In March 1988, his father died after a stroke, the eighth of his life. His mother died five years later, in 1993, of motor neurone disease.
Connolly and Stephenson married in Fiji on 20 December 1989: he had been living with her since 1981. "Marriage to Pam didn't change me; it saved me," he later said. "I was going to die. I was on a downwards spiral and enjoying every second of it. Not only was I dying, but I was looking forward to it."
In the book Billy (and in a December 2008 online interview), Connolly states he was sexually abused by his father between the ages of ten and fifteen. He believes this was a result of the Catholic Church not allowing his father to divorce after his mother left the family. Because of this, Connolly has a "deep distrust and dislike of the Catholic church and any other organisation that brainwashes people". He has called himself an atheist.
In September 2013, Connolly underwent minor surgery for early-stage prostate cancer. The announcement also stated that he was being treated for the initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Connolly had acknowledged earlier in 2013 that he had started to forget his lines during performances. In January 2019, he disclosed that its advance may force his retirement from performing.
Connolly appeared on the BBC's genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are? on 2 October 2014, in which he discovered his Indian ancestry.
Connolly is father to five children: two from his first marriage and three from his second. He became a grandfather in 2001, when his daughter Cara gave birth to Walter.
Billy Connolly