Jeremy Clarkson fears he ‘doesn’t have long left’ after being hospitalised
Published in online articles abounding with advertising and popups on the 20th of October 2024 at 07:00 in Gloucestershire Live by Christopher Sharp (Trendswatch Reporter) and republished in the Manchester Evening News by Liv Clarke (Tourism Writer) at 17:00 that same day.
Former Top Gear and Grand Tour presenter Jeremy Clarkson has spoken both about his present state of health and ongoing fears about developing dementia in the future.
TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has said that he doesn’t feel he has long to live after a health kick caused a hospitalisation. Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “I don’t have long. I’ve probably only got what, 70,000 hours left, maybe?“
20th October 2024 headlines
It’s important to note that this shock announcement, ‘doesn’t have long left’ indeed, it appears only ‘hours’ in the article, a stark misinterpretation of Clarkson’s original quote, which was a more nuanced reflection on his remaining time.
Clarkson ranked 5th most famous TV personality by yougov.co.uk in 2024, also received the accolade of Britain’s Sexiest Man for the second year running in 2024 is an obvious target for a cheap headlines and its no surprise when Gloucester Live recycles a comment from Clarkson made during an interview for the Guardian that he only had a number of hours to live.
What makes this news ‘No Fracking Point #nfpnews”? – The fact that within the 4500+ word quality article by Guardian feature writer and interviewer, Charlotte Edwardes. In response to a discussion on his approach and attitude to life, Clarkson quips, “I’ve probably only got what, 70,000 hours left, maybe?”.
Yes, Clarkson did estimate his life in hours, but this was in the context of an interview about life and farming. It’s no surprise that the quick-witted celebrity chose to measure a guesstimate of his time left in hours, a measure used to reflect age on farm machinery as opposed to cars which are aged by recording miles.
The attention-grabbing headline, Gloucester Live and others posited, starts to crumble, underscoring the crucial role of accurate reporting in the media landscape.
Let’s look at the truth of Clarkson’s ingenious statement: “70,000 hours”, divide it by 24, then by 365, and we find that it equates to a significantly longer time of 8 years, not the ‘hours’ as misinterpreted in the article.
Being 63 at the time of the original article would put Jeremy in his seventies before his anticipated passing. Not bad for a chap who has enjoyed a lifestyle like his. It’s hardly stunning news, though.
The original interview was published on the 27th of April, 2024, just two weeks after Clarkson’s birthday, and was ‘selectively recycled’ some six months later, a fact that is crucial to understanding the context of the quote.
The publication and syndication of the #nfpnews article occurred shortly after Clarkson was hospitalised for a medical procedure on his heart in October 2024.
Once again Jasper calls it out!
