Later today, at 4pm, the iconic 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger hits ITV screens. The movie was Sean Connery’s third outing as the suave spy, and has become one of the best-loved over the years.
Iconic director Steven Spielberg even calls Goldfinger his favourite 007 movie of all time.
However, when it came to bringing the character of Bond, James Bond to life in Goldfinger, Connery found himself at odds with the costume designers.
In the movie, Bond is – naturally – a womaniser who struts around the globe having frequent affairs with all sorts of secret agents and spies. In Goldfinger, the woman in question is Honor Blackman’s iconic Pussy Galore.
However single Bond was, however, Connery insisted on making sure he didn’t look like a bachelor.
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Connery was asked to take his wedding ring off during the costuming for Goldfinger – but he refused.
Two years prior, on December 2, 1962, the Scottish star married Diane Cilento, an Australian actress best known for appearing in Tom Jones and The Wicker Man.
Together, the pair had two children, including Jason Connery, the British actor and director.
As a result of this dispute, Connery came to a compromise with Goldfinger bosses.
Connery was adamant he would not be taking off his wedding ring for any reason.
Instead, he agreed to cover it up with a flesh-coloured bandage, with heaps of makeup applied over it to help it blend in.
Eagle-eyed viewers can even spot the bandage in some shots of the movie.
Connery and Cilento remained together until 1971 when they separated. Three years later, in 1974, they divorced.
In her autobiography, My Nine Lives, Cilento claimed Connery was “emotionally and physically abusive” during their marriage.
In 1972, Cilento met playwright Anthony Shaffer while working on the film The Wicker Man. Just over a decade later, in 1985, the pair were married, and remained together until his untimely death in 2001.
