Spy who didn’t love fast cars...
Roger was more Dr Slow, says pal Eamonn
SIR Roger Moore was in some of the most daring car chases in movie history – but the James Bond star was secretly terrified of fast motors.
Eamonn Holmes, a close friend of the late actor, made the revelation while reminiscing about a journey they made in Belfast.
The pair had appeared together on TV before making a dash to the airport. Host Eamonn, 61, said: “Roger and I had to get back to London that night.
“The last flight was 9.50pm.
We literally finished at 9.30pm in the TV studio. I was sitting in the car and Roger Moore was holding on to the seat. And he said, ‘Oh, I don’t like this, all this is too fast for me.’ I said, ‘But you are James Bond.’ He said, ‘Oh, I hate fast cars.’ I started laughing.” As Bond, Sir Roger drove a fleet of beautiful motors, the most famous – arguably – a white Lotus Esprit in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me. After a hair-raising chase he drove it into the sea where it turned into a submarine.
Sir Roger, 89, died in 2017.
James Bond may have been fearless but Sir Roger Moore, who played him, clearly wasn’t. According to Eamonn Holmes, Moore – forever filmed behind the wheel of a supercharged car – never liked driving at speed.
Whatever next! Perhaps we should expect an admission that he preferred a cup of cocoa to a dry martini.