Eddie Jordan was ‘banned from meeting Michael Schumacher’ before death | F1 | Sport
Eddie Jordan had been banned from visiting fellow Formula One icon Michael Schumacher following his 2013 skiing accident. Jordan, who has passed away after a battle with cancer, was an instrumental figure in Schumacher’s career, as he gave the future seven-time world champion his Formula One debut.
The two had remained friends prior to Schumacher’s accident, which had left him in a medically induced coma for six months. However, despite their close relationship, Jordan was refused the chance to visit the record world champion by Schumacher’s wife Corinna.
Speaking in an interview with The Sun two years ago, Jordan explained: “I made an effort to go see Michael in the early days and Corinna refused, and rightfully so because too many people wanted to go see him.”
It’s believed Corinna imposed a “family only” rule surrounding visits in the aftermath of Schumacher’s accident, but former Ferrari boss Jean Todt was handed a special exemption. Jordan continued: “Jean Todt was given the privilege to go see him because of how close they were from their time together at Ferrari which is completely understandable.
“I was not able to go see Michael and they said ‘We love you Eddie and we’ve been involved with you for a very long time, but we do need privacy and safeguard of Michael’.”
Jordan, who had known Corinna since she married Michael, did admit he understood why she was so protective over who could and couldn’t visit him. He added: “This was the most horrific situation for Mick and Corinna.
“It’s been nearly 10 years now and Corinna has not been able to go to a party, to lunch or this or that, she’s like a prisoner because everyone would want to talk to her about Michael when she doesn’t need reminding of it every minute.”
Jordan was a much-loved figure in the world of racing, with the Dublin-born ace leaving behind a gigantic legacy as a driver, F1 team owner, entrepreneur and television pundit. In one of his final media appearances before passing away, Jordan took the time to urge fans to get tested for cancer early.
He said on the Formula For Success podcast: “Go and get tested, because in life, you’ve got chances. We’ve kind of alluded to it over the shows, way back in March and April, I was diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer, and then it spread into the spine and the pelvis, so it was quite aggressive.”
