Gerard Joling (65) says he is seriously considering a life outside the spotlight, but is he even capable of doing so? Celebrity expert Bart Ettekoven doesn’t think so. “Can’t do without applause.”
After a career of more than 40 years, Gerard Joling says he feels that he does not want to continue forever. “I have to stop at some point, otherwise it will be sad. It is already sad,” said the singer in his real-life soap on RTL 4. When asked whether he really thinks about that, the Ticket to the Tropics star answers: “Yes, only.”
Hard worker
Celebrity expert Bart Ettekoven does not see that happening. “Stopping around the age of seventy? I don’t believe that at all,” he says New Revu. “This man is never going to stop. He is more popular than ever and simply enjoys it too much. The moment the applause stops, he will miss it enormously.”
He continues: “I even think it would make him unhappy if he stopped. He needs that routine, that work, those obligations. Because if that disappears, his life will become one big party with dinners and drinks. And that may be fun for a while, but ultimately not for him.”
Hard worker
Why does Bart think Geer is still such an A-star? “I worked with Gerard at Shownieuws and at Sterrenslag. What is his success? First of all, he is just an extremely hard worker. I have seen with my own eyes how he sometimes did not feel like going anywhere.”
But then his manager and buddy Wino Omtzigt picked him up again and put him in the car, according to Bart. “And that is important, because if you miss appointments, things go downhill very quickly. He also has a lot of talent and he also has people around him who keep him sharp.”
