Jeremy Clarkson on aging: 'I'm a waste of blood and organs', fears of 'wetting the bed'
Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that he thinks of age and death quite often and that it bothers him. The former TV presenter, who turned 62 on Monday, April 11, shared how he thinks about death 'a lot' as he turned a year older. In addition to his fear of death, Clarkson also opened up about turning old in his column in the Times.
In his blog post, he said, "I turn 62 tomorrow, which means death cannot be that far away." The TV star admitted that he thinks 'age is cruel' and that he believes that the 'party is nearly over'.
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Clarkson continued, "But instead of hiding in a wardrobe, hoping it won’t find me there, I’m writing this, and when I’ve finished I’ll go to the pub. I do think about dying, a lot, and it bothers me. But not as much as it should.” Shedding light on what aging feels according to him, Clarkson clarified he would never join a gym but find other ways to try to keep youthful. Jeremy continued that he fears that advances in medical science could simply leave the older generation like him ‘outstaying his welcome’. "I’m a drain, a waste of blood and organs. And soon I shall start wetting the bed, which means I’ll be a nuisance as well," he penned.
He then indicated towards crowds that try and starve off years and years inside gyms as they 'sweat and grunt' by saying, "At best you’ll look like a pipe cleaner in a ball sack. And you still won’t be able to run the hundred meters in 11 seconds or do pole-vaulting or swim a length underwater or win the Tour de France.”
Highlighting his fitness regime or a physical activity he enjoys, Clarkson expressed how he enjoys a nice leisure walk where he takes some time to stop, look around, observe birds, the beauty of nature, and more. He especially likes looking at interesting birds' nests. His column mainly revolves around bashing the idea of getting older. That said, he did say that there is one upside to growing old. Clarkson said that he no longer has to worry about what he looked like.
Speaking specifically for those over 60, the TV personality said as there are fewer miles left on the clock the 'need to be attractive so that you can have sexual intercourse' is not a concern for the older population.
As the article proceeds, Clarkson rounded up a list of fellow male celebrities who are also turning 62 this year. The list included Hugh Grant, Jonathan Ross, Bono, Gary Linker, and Antonio Banderas. The motive behind the list was that Clarkson wanted to check who was 'faring better' through the inevitable aging process.
He admitted that all of them are faring better, except perhaps Jonathan Ross. Continuing with his self depreciation, Clarkson said, "And that irritates me. I’m in a battle here with Kenneth Branagh and, though we’ve never met, you can be assured he’s in a battle with me. And he knows he’s winning. He can look at a photograph of me and then himself in the mirror and he’ll think, ‘Yup. I’m in the lead'.” He signed off by saying, "I think this is what defines old age. All the stuff I used to think was boring is now a “lovely” way of passing the time."