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
Britt is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Plus, her style in every single shot is to die for!
ReplyDeleteKisses, Froso from Style Nirvana
she's very pretty, but I agree that she doesn't quite have that thing that marianne and anita have.
ReplyDeleteI think they're more fiery.
But I can still see why she wouldve had a lot of rockstar boyfriends.
It's funny though how in Keiths autobiograhpy he talks about running allover newyork trying to get away from her because she wants to bed him.
Gotta love Kieth haha
Wow! Like Jerry Hall, Britt is being underrated in this blog! Look at pics #4 and #10 and tell me Britt isn't as stunning as any girl on this site. I guess everyone has their own tastes. Great blog, great scans. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great Britt post and photos to remind people how gorgeous Britt was gorgeous in her heyday.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading her autobiography, "True Britt" when I was ten-years-old because I thought she was absolutely stunning.
Peter Sellers said she changed quite a bit and after some years together wasn't the same woman he married, implying that she was obsessed with the Hollywood lifestyle. He truly loved her, and I think Rod did too. I remember him explaining his and Britt's matching aerobic ensembles to the "fashion police" in a tabloid a few years ago by saying, "blame it on being in love."
Her "palimony" case against Rod was one of the first at that time, and I remember people saying she was a gold digger and such.
I've been reading through old issues of Creem and Rock Scene from the years when she was with Rod, and the writers wrote about her like she was a joke - and this was before the palimony suit.
In the late 70's, there are mentions of her in those same magazines that paint her as a pathetic and desperate woman out on the prowl for young musicians, which I never understood.
In photos of her from 1978 and 1979, she is dangerously thin and has a very short haircut, so she isn't nearly as attractive. The prowling for musicians seems to be backed up by Keith Richards, who claimed she chased him, and also in Cyrinda Foxe-Tyler's book where she claims that Steven looked at her one night and said, "If you weren't here, I could be going home with Britt Ekland tonight."
She did marry Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats in the 80's, so maybe she had a thing for musicians, but was probably considered "too old" by the 1980's to snare the more unattainable ones?
I've always felt sorry for her daughter, Victoria, with Peter Sellers. Victoria was a Heidi Fleiss girl, but looks nothing like Britt and just like Peter. Poor thing - she's always been in trouble with the law.
These are great! I loved her in "The Wicker Man" and her part in whichever of those 70's Amicus Pictures horror anthologies she was in...was it "Asylum"? Fantastic work with the scans, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThat's all I could think, too, after reading Keith's biography, about him hiding from her!! I don't feel too sorry for him now, hiding from such a beauty!!
ReplyDeletePS love all your pics of Anita!!
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Looks like they had fun!
ReplyDeleteYou should do a post on Patti Hansen
ReplyDeleteI can tell you as a young male growing up in that era.., basically Britt wasn't just 'sexy', Britt *WAS* Sex!
ReplyDelete( Her and Diana Rigg amongst my first crushes )
But Rod!? From some angles and certain photos, yes I can see how some women found him to be 'attractive'. But all he need do was turn his head slightly or change his expression and some poor gal just woke up with Marty FELDMAN! Blech. Sorry Rod, loved your albums tho'.
Leith, you're on a ROLL! Love ya' kid!
I adore your blog - and love these pictures!!
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