Wednesday 21 December 2022

SIR JACKIE STEWART SENT SIR SEAN CONNERY TO MAYO CLINIC TO EXTEND LIFE



SIR Jackie Stewart has revealed that he sent his best friend Sir Sean Connery to the Mayo clinic in a bid to extend the 007 actor’s life. 
And the Scots racing champ revealed that the treatment Sir Sean received at the renowned clinic in America, a popular haunt of celebrities who require special medical care, ‘probably‘ kept him alive for an extra few months. 
Sir Jackie first met Sir Sean in 1971 when the actor was setting up a charity - the Scottish International Education Trust - to help young Scots and became a  lifelong friend of the actor who admired how he projected Scotland to the world as a racing driver.
The sports star spent time with Sir Sean before his death in 2020 in the Bahamas, where he lived with his wife Micheline and many of their family members. 
And Jackie, who even joined the late James Bond actor on his sick bed to watch and rewatch him perform his favourite role as a soldier in North African prison in lesser known film Sidney Lumet’s The Hill from 1965, has now revealed that he played a huge role in Sir Sean’s final days. 
In a chat with Justin Bell, the son of racing driver Derek Bell he revealed: “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.”
Sir Jackie added: “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.
“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 treatments Sir Sean underwent at the clinic which has its headquarters in Rochdale Minnesota but the clinic is renowned for its work in the field of cancer, cardiology and geriatrics as well as neurology and addiction. 
Sir Sean had paid visits there over the years and previous celebrities using its services include King Hussein of Jordan, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, and Muhammad Ali whilst more recently the late Darius Campbell Danesh and fellow Scot Gerard Butler were spotted in the vicinity of the Rochdale campus. 
A death certificate obtained by the publication TMZ claimed Sir Sean died from respiratory failure caused by pneumonia, old age, and atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat, which has been found to increase the risk of lung issues).
Sir Sean was said by Jackie to be very unwell then with dementia, which he  described as  ‘a very cruel disease – I know this personally, as my wife has had it for several years. It was sad seeing him like that.’
The Scots racing driver also appeared to make a secret visit to see the actor’s widow Micheline in Edinburgh when she and the family made a trip to Scotland to scatter Sir Sean’s ashes earlier this year. 
He was spotted on the royal mile by fans at the time and was said to have visited the Balmoral hotel where Micheline and her family resided during their visit. 
During their journey it bid a final goodbye to Sir Sean, the mourners gathered at the Dalmeny Estate overlooking the River Forth neat South Queensferry shortly after arriving in Scotland in chartered luxury train the Royal Scotsman. 

From Scotland With Love theshowbizlion.com

This article has subsequently been published in The Daily Record and other nationals

Thursday 8 December 2022

SCHITTS CREEK’S EMILY HAMPSHIRE GETS BLACK EYE FILMING SCOTS DRAMA THE RIG


SCHITTS Creek star Emily Hampshire has revealed she got her first black eye after an accident on set whilst filming Amazon Prime original drama The Rig. 
Emily who appeared at the premiere of the new thriller with Martin Compston which starts on January 6 revealed that eagle eyed viewers will be able to spot her injury despite heavy make up.
She told theshowbizlion.com at Edinburgh’s prestigious Gleneagles Townhouse: “I did get my first black eye on the show, not on the show but on the set. So in a fun game you can try to see where my black eye is. Ellie our makeup woman did an amazing job but there is one scene where you'll see my black eye. 
She revealed:  “I walked into a crane, an actual metal crane…and you heard it. Martin said it was a ‘belter’.”
Emily, who also, says she did a tonne of running on set to keep fit, also said she got extra exercise going up Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. 

She said of her filming experience in Scotland: “It was amazing. I mean, at first, it was during the height of masks and I couldn't understand anyone.”
“But I was also taken on a what I believe in called a wee walk.
“There was a lot of uphill in that walk and it ended up being me climbing a mountain - Arthur's Seat. Not a seat. It was a mountain. 
So it was a lot. 
The star who wore a kilt during her visit to Edinburgh - ‘with underwear’ added: “But what was amazing was I didn't know anything about rigs.
“ It's not an industry that that we know about and so I just loved kind of just learning about this whole new world. 
A first I kept calling it a ship, which it’s not.”
I’d love to film here again as long as I am warned before I go climb a mountain.
Absolutely. I love it here. I also love this cast and like working with all the Scottish actors and UK actors. 
I'm in love. With all of them. This one, Martin in particular especially.”

Tuesday 6 December 2022

CAROL SMILLIE MARRIES 60 MINUTE MAKEOVER CO-HOST JOHN AMABILE!




CHANGING Rooms star Carol Smillie has married her co-star and 60 Minute Makeover host John Amabile - in a Scots wedding ceremony. 
John tied the knot with his partner of 19 years, Steven Gormley, at an exclusive ceremony at Hotel Du Vin in Glasgow. 
And the wedding was was conducted by fellow Changing Rooms star and Humanist Celebrant Carol Smilie.

 John, once voted as one of Scotland’s most eligible batchelors, met  Steve, a leader in executive development over 19 years ago outside a local chip shop. 

 Carol has been a lifelong friend of John's since their early TV days, and, according to insiders, delivered a personal, funny and beautiful ceremony reflecting both John's and Steve's sense of humour, joy and love and respect for each other. 




Carol said: "I've known John for almost 40 years, so no one was more delighted than me when they finally decided to make it official and, even better, ask me to do the honours. It was a very emotional day, and I'm so happy for them both."

 John said: “I grew up in Scotland, where homosexuality was illegal until 1980, and we both were so proud on the 31st of January 2014 when same-sex marriages became legal in Scotland." 

He continued, "Steve and I discussed getting married at the time, but our schedules were so busy, and we knew we wanted to do something intimate and just for us. The time just slipped with Covid and various other events over the years. But as the old saying goes, "whit's fur ye'll no go by ye".


From Scotland with Love - theshowbizlion.com 



Friday 2 December 2022

EIGHTIES STAR JESSE RAE GOES TO NUMBER ONE IN USA WITH LOCH LOMOND




SCOTS eighties music legend and cult star Jesse Rae has gone to number one in America after breathing new life into five hundred year old Scots song Loch Lomond by bringing it out as a dance music version. 
Saint Bothwell’s born Jesse, now 71, who wears Highland battle dress and still carries a giant Claymore with him wherever he goes, is known for previous hits like Inside Out with eighties group Odyssey as well as his own track Over The Sea. 
He was asked to team up on Loch Lomond by Scots EDM dance team Objectz, aka singer songwriter Daryl Demarco, and world renowned multi-platinum hit music producer Simon Britton whose recent single Ignite on Spotify landed in the top ten of the illustrious Music Week official commercial pop chart. 
And Jesse, has just released the track on Deevu records in time for the festive season, says he’s thrilled that Loch Lomond can now reach a younger audience throughout the globe. 
The singer and Objectz have even more to celebrate after the extended mix of the song went to number one in the US industry led Masspool DJ top 50 club charts with the radio mix also going on at number eight. In Australia it has also gone it at number three in the iTunes Charts. 
Jesse,  who has spent the last few years taking his brand of funk music across the globe and restoring the William Wallace statue in Bemersyde, said: “Loch Lomond has an old world romance story of two lovers and two brothers, one destined to hang, the other to be set free attached to it and is so meaningful to every Scot and beyond.” 
“I love the way we have done it to bring it to a new generation. We’re sticking to the traditional -Loch Lomond is a five hundred year old song - but we are giving people what they want, something more upbeat so they can sing and dance along to it and don’t have to drag their feet to another version which is an old folk song.
We want the kids to sing and dance to it and are already getting enquiries from as far afield as Japan. People just want to dance and it’s such an iconic song.”
Objectz Simon Britton added: “Loch Lomond is a song that you normally play at the end of a wedding but the great thing with our remixed dance version featuring Jesse is that you can now play it at the start of the wedding too.” 
Loch Lomond by Objectz featuring Jesse Rae is released by Deevu records and is available via https://bfan.link/loch-lomond-feat-jesse-rae