George Clooney thought he’d never see his kids again when he crashed his motorcycle in Italy two years ago.
In his new interview with GQ, the 59-year-old recalls the harrowing moment he was launched off his bike and hit the ground after he collided with another vehicle.
In the moments immediately after impact, Clooney says all he could think about was his children, twins Ella and Alexander, three, with wife Amal.
‘It was the thought that this was it’: George Clooney has recalled thinking he wouldn’t see his kids again when his motorbike collided with a car in Italy in 2018
‘He literally turned directly in front of me. I launched. I go head over heels. But I landed on my hands and knees,
‘If you did it 100 times, maybe once you land on your hands and knees, and any other version you land, you’re toast. It knocked me out of my shoes.’
He continued, ‘When I hit the ground, my mouth – I thought all my teeth were broken out. But it was glass from the windshield,
‘… My kids were like a year old, and mostly it was just the thought that this was it and that I wasn’t gonna see them again,’.
‘… My kids were like a year old, and mostly it was just the thought that this was it and that I wasn’t gonna see them again,’. The actor is pictured being treated at the scene on July 10 2018
After the accident Clooney decided to stop riding motorbikes for good.
During an appearance on ITV’s This Morning in 2019, the actor said: ‘I was very lucky to pull out of that one. That officially got me off motorbikes after 40 years, which is unfortunate,
He added that Amal was against him riding motorcycles after his crash.
‘It was one of those conversations, we were coming back from the hospital and she said, “That’s it,”‘ he recalled.
Passion: Clooney is seen on his bike in Italy 2018, months before his accident. He stopped riding for good after the accident
‘And I was sort of kind of thinking, “Well, maybe I can still get away with this,” and then my buddy, who was also in the accident with me, Grant [Heslov] … said, “Yeah, I’m off.” There was nothing I could do — I was ganged up on!’
The actor has earned GQ’s Man Of The Year title and gives a rare glimpse into his family life in the interview.
The Ocean’s Eleven star said he was convinced he never wanted to marry or have children, until he met his wife, Amal, 42, whom he married in 2014.
He told GQ: ‘For 36 years, I was the guy that if some kid popped up and started crying, I’d be like, ‘Are you f***ing kidding me?’ And now suddenly I’m the guy with the kid, you know?’
‘I never realised how empty my life was until I met Amal’: GQ’s Man Of The Year George Clooney, 59, gave a rare insight into family life in an interview with the publication
‘I was like, “I’m never getting married. I’m not gonna have kids,” I’m gonna work, I’ve got great friends, my life is full, I’m doing well.
‘And I didn’t know how un-full it was until I met Amal. And then everything changed. And I was like, “Oh, actually, this has been a huge empty space”…
‘I’d never been in the position where someone else’s life was infinitely more important to me than my own. And then tack on two more individuals, who are small and have to be fed…’
He said: ‘I didn’t know how un-full it was until I met Amal. And then everything changed. And I was like, ‘Oh, actually, this has been a huge empty space’…’ (pictured in March 2019)
George also reflected upon his acting career and how he likes to be brutally honest with himself and others about the work he’s done.
‘The only way you can honestly talk about things is to include yourself and your shortcomings in those things.
‘Like, when I say Batman & Robin’s a terrible film, I always go, “I was terrible in it.” Because I was.
‘But also because then it allows you the ability to say, ‘Having said I sucked in it, I can also say that none of these other elements worked, either. You know?”
The cover star added: ‘I’d never been in the position where someone else’s life was infinitely more important to me than my own. And then tack on two more individuals, who are small and have to be fed…’
George said he moved behind the camera because he doesn’t want his age to force him out of the movie industry which he adores so much.
He said: ‘I love this business. And I also don’t want to be 60 and worry about what some casting director or some young producer or studio executive thinks about me anymore. I wanted to be involved.
‘Directing is the painter. Acting, writing, you know, those are the paints.’
The December issue of GQ is available now.
Stars: Clooney is celebrated this year alongside rapper Megan Thee Stallion, (pictured) and television host Trevor Noah – who each have their own cover
Smiling: Trevor Noah won Newsman of the Year and also appears on a cover