Racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart has revealed he sent best pal Sir Sean Connery to a leading American clinic popular with celebrities to help the Bond icon's battle with dementia.
The Record reports how Sir Jackie believes the treatment Edinburgh-born Sir Sean got at the renowned Mayo Clinic kept him alive for an extra few months – so he could spend precious extra time with family and friends.
Both all-time greats in their chosen fields and proud Scotsmen, the two men built up a close bond and lasting friendship after first meeting in the early 70s.
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Former F1 driver Sir Jackie said: “I saw him not long before he died, in the Bahamas. I got him to the Mayo Clinic and we probably kept him for a few more months than he might have had.” Stewart spoke about Connery’s dementia, describing the illness as “a very cruel disease”. He added: “I know this personally, as my wife has had it for several years. It was sad seeing him like that.”
Sir Jackie tribute to his old friend, saying: “Sean Connery was a wonderful man. Oh, he was first of all – without doubt – the best Bond. He was terrific. And he was a good man and he was unspoiled. And he was one of my best friends.”
Stewart added: “He was very quiet and not a pushy man at all but yet he was just so completely good at what he did – and a good Scot.” It is unknown what treatment Connery underwent at the Mayo Clinic, which has its headquarters in Rochdale, Minnesota.
The clinic is famous for its work in the field of cancer, cardiology and geriatrics, as well as neurology and addiction. Previous celebrities and VIPs using its services include King Hussein of Jordan, ex- US president Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy, former first lady Barbara Bush and boxing icon Muhammad Ali.
More recently, the late Darius Campbell Danesh was understood to be receiving treatment at the clinic before his death in August. Connery’s death certificate showed he died from respiratory failure caused by pneumonia, old age and atrial fibrillation – an irregular heartbeat.
Stewart made a secret visit to see the actor’s widow Micheline in Edinburgh when she and Connery’s family visited his homeland to scatter his ashes earlier this year. The former racing driver was spotted on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile by fans at the time and was said to have been at the Balmoral hotel, where Micheline and her family resided during their visit.
Stewart later joined Connery’s friends and family as they gathered at the Dalmeny Estate, near South Queensferry, to remember his life. Stewart first met Connery in 1971 when the actor was setting up a charity – the Scottish International Education Trust – to help young Scots.
He became a lifelong friend of the superstar, who admired how he had raised the profile of Scotland on the global stage as a racing driver. The sports star spent time with Connery before his death in 2020 in the Bahamas, where he lived with Micheline and many of their family members.
Stewart joined the late James Bond actor to watch and rewatch him perform his favourite role as a soldier in a north African prison in lesser known film Sidney Lumet’s The Hill from 1965.
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