Several months ago, I started to notice quite a few pictures of Rod Stewart, who, at the time, was quite the Playboy man-about-town rocker, with the stunning Swedish actress Britt Ekland pop up in the magazines that I tirelessly collect on eBay. I’ve always loved Rod – in that, the Faces are one of my favorite bands (should be doing a post on them some time soon, by the way) and I adore his first few solo records – but didn’t know anything about Britt. I researched her out of curiosity, and because she was so incredibly beautiful, and a rock star girlfriend, as I tend to be fond of, as you know. While it’s true that she in no way fascinates me like Marianne or Anita, her string of Hollywood lovers and the fact that despite those connections (and her otherworldly beauty), she never really made it as a huge name somewhat endears me.
She was married to Peter Sellers at 20, a Bond girl (well, woman) at 31, and Rod’s sweetheart the next year. It was only six weeks after she had ended her relationship with Lou Adler (with whom she had a son) when Joan Collins invited Britt to one of Rod's concerts in early 1975. Their attraction was immediate and it wasn't long before they were the hottest celebrity couple in Hollywood. She went on the road with him, sang background vocals in "Tonight's The Night", and moved into his posh LA home. It seems like they were very much in love for a couple of years until, inevitably, Rod cheated on her (I presume with Alana, who he would later marry). She tried to sue Rod for a shitload of money - claiming that she had given up her career to focus on him and their relationship. The lawsuit was later thrown out and settled out of court. Britt reportedly received $12.5 million from the split, so I can only imagine the amount she asked for! After Rod, there were a string of other lovers and one more husband - Stray Cats musician Slim Jim Phantom. But perhaps no coupledom was as infamous as the two blondes, who, most of the time, really did have more fun.
all images = my scans
