Ending a romantic relationship and going through a breakup has never been easy for most people, as it naturally brings emotional pain. Pattie Boyd had two intense affairs; one was with the late Beatle George Harrison and then with the renowned guitarist Eric Clapton. In a recent interview with the Telegraph, Boyd explained her difficult decision to leave the Beatles icon.
George Harrison and Pattie Boyd married in 1966 and seemed pretty happy. The tensions between the couple started to escalate when George began to focus on the Beatles, neglecting his personal relationships. He was having affairs, using substances, and failing to show his love toward Pattie, which eventually led to their separation in 1974.
“It was an extremely difficult decision of mine to make,” said Boyd, referring to how hard it was to end her relationship with Harrison. “I felt that I had to leave George because things were getting really out of hand. George was just being a different George. We had gone in different directions, basically. But we still loved each other. It’s just that I think he wanted to spread his wings and take advantage of being the handsome, famous, rich guy that he was and see how the girls felt about him. A hot-blooded boy – why not, I suppose.”
After separating from George Harrison, Pattie Boyd started a relationship with the late Beatle’s close friend Eric Clapton, who had already expressed interest in her during Boyd’s marriage with George. Unfortunately, their marriage was short-lived due to the guitarist’s heroin addiction at the time.
Regarding handling these two painful breakups, Pattie said, “Well, I was no longer Mrs. Famous George or Mrs. Famous Eric, so who am I? I am no one. No one knows me—I don’t even know me. I was at a critical point in my life, and so I saw a psychotherapist who was quite wonderful. She was amazing. She guided me out of this mire of respond, and gradually, I learned to believe in myself.”
In 2007, Boyd published her autobiography titled ‘Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me,’ in which she talked about her childhood, modeling career, and relationships with Harrison and Clapton. Pattie’s new autobiographical book, ‘My Life In Pictures,’ featuring over 300 photographs from her personal archive, hit the shelves in the UK on October 18, 2022, while the US edition will arrive on December 20.
