Having made history as the first skydiver to safely land without using a parachute, daredevil Gary Connery is used to high-profile stunts.
Now, after acting as the Queen’s skydiving stunt-double during the Opening Ceremony, the father of two says he has realised his dream.
‘I had the best seat in the house for a show that was seen around the world,’ he says.
Gary and James Bond double Mark Sutton, 41, underwent months of secret training for their show-stealing jump.
On the night, Gary, 43, was sewn into a copy of the salmon dress the Queen was wearing, and the duo were driven to Stapleford airfield, Essex.
It was the first time he wore his costume. 'I mean I’ve worn my own dresses out loads of times,' he joked. 'But in terms of the jump it was the first time.'
Asked why he was chosen for the jump Mr Connery replied: 'Good question. I think they liked my legs.' He added: 'I’ve got Queen-style legs.'
Their helicopter was given the all-clear to take off at 8.50pm by military air-traffic controllers and then guided into position over the arena at 800ft for the pair to make their entrance.
After deploying their parachutes at 500ft, the duo steered away from the stadium and landed on a nearby bridge.
Gary, who completed the world’s first skydive without a parachute in May, now says he has only one regret from the night: ‘I really wanted to keep the dress, but I wasn’t allowed. It would have looked great on a night out.’
The result was the most talked-about sequence of Danny Boyle’s stunning Olympics Opening Ceremony.
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