Maischberger retains the hairpiece worn by Helmut Schmidt
"Talk show host Sandra Maischberger has a unique keepsake from her conversation with ex-Chancellor Helmut Schmidt: An ashtray filled with crushed cigarette butts from the notorious smoker."
"I'm thankful to my director Markus Verhall for gifting me this," Maischberger shared with the 'New Osnabrueck Newspaper'. "He actually had the ashtray from Schmidt with the leftover stubs from the last broadcast turned into resin."
Her son even entertained the idea of reviving Schmidt using DNA from the butts. "When my son was a younger 'Jurassic Park' enthusiast, he thought you could clone Helmut Schmidt from these butts," Maischberger, age 58, continued. "He believed there was Schmidt's DNA in them, and all you needed was to stick a needle in them, extract the DNA, and bring back a new Schmidt."
Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt (SPD, 1918-2015) was widely known for disregarding smoking restrictions. For example, a famous quote from the Hamburg native was recorded during his hospital stay due to a stroke in 1999: "For me, there are only two stimulants left: work and the cigarette."
The 'New Osnabrueck Newspaper' reported Maischberger's statement about the gift.The following paragraphs are added: Maischberger found amusement in her son's belief that Schmidt could be cloned from the cigarette butts.
