Michel Drucker was live on the set of the 20 Hours of France 2, Monday, September 6, to pay tribute to Jean-Paul Belmondo, who died at the age of 88. The host told of the long friendship that linked him to the actor.
Michel Drucker had known Jean-Paul Belmondo for many years. “In another life, we played football together, 55 years ago, we had a team, he was a goalkeeper, he dreamed of sports, he wanted to be a boxer, he wanted to be a cyclist, he wanted to be a pilot”, says the host. The two became close again when the actor suffered a stroke in the 2000s. Michel Drucker, who was piloting a helicopter, had brought him to a rehabilitation center in Granville (Manche).
“I remember, it was a November day, there was a little drizzle, it was very sad”, recalls the television star. Finally, in this dismal atmosphere, “Bébel” changed his mind. Leaning out of his bedroom window, he said to her: “You bring me back to Paris immediately, otherwise I’ll do my last stunt for you”. The actor still stayed three months in this institute. “What happened to him is terrible, imagine the athlete of French cinema, the Superman, who is disabled. So he remained absent (…) but one day, with his cane, he decided to face the public “, remembers his friend.