Comedy legend Harry Enfield reveals treatment for health condition would be "very painful and take a long time"

Comedy legend Harry Enfield has revealed how freshwater swimming has left him with hearing problems. The Harry & Paul star and actor, 65, made the stunning revelation he is "partially deaf" during an interview with the Off Menu podcast while discussing his hobby of swimming in London ponds.

Enfield, famed for roles in films including Kevin and Perry Go Large, told hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster he had been diagnosed with exostoses, more commonly known as surfer’s ear, and had recently had hearing aids fitted. "I’m deaf, partially deaf," he said. "And because I swim in Highgate Ponds, I’ve got stalactites in my ears."

"They’ve got tiny little hearing aids you can get now and apparently they’re very good. They cost a fortune, but they’re worth having. So, I went to get them fitted," he went on. "They said, 'No, you’ve got big bones – stalactites – that have grown in your ears. Do you do a lot of freshwater swimming?'. I said, 'Well, yeah', and they said, 'Ah, that’s what it is'."

Docs told the comedy icon there is treatment to have the troublesome stalactites "chopped off", but it can be "very painful and take a long time". "I’d sooner not hear what you’re saying," he added, joking his ears were now like a "little cave".

Exostoses occurs when repeated exposure to cold water and wind irritates the ear canal, which then triggers the body to grow new lumps of bone. The growths develop slowly and can then lead to issues with retained ear wax, ear canal skin infections, and in some cases, hearing loss. It usually occurs in both ears.

The fresh hearing diagnosis came after Enfield, speaking last year, told The Third Act podcast he was "getting very deaf and I just cannot hear in restaurants". Enfield was asked if he considered any advantages to ageing, with the actor admitting he exploited pensioner perks despite being two years shy of official pensioner status.

"I swim every day in Highgate Ponds," he added at the time in another hint to his condition. "I take my cap off and go, 'old age pensioner', put it back on, and that means I go in free until nine o’clock," he said. "If I’m late, I pay £2.90, whereas young people have to pay £4.50. That really pleases me."

As well as appearing in the Harry & Paul show, Enfield is known to millions for comedy characters including Loadsamoney, Tim Nice-But-Dim, and Smashie and Nicey, alongside fellow comic, Paul Whitehouse.