Britt Ekland never experienced the "swinging 60s" because of her marriage to "problematic" Peter Sellers.

Britt Ekland had an unhappy marriage to Peter Sellers

Britt Ekland had an unhappy marriage to Peter Sellers

The 80-year-old actress married the British comic in 1964 following a whirlwind romance, but they divorced in 1968 on the grounds of cruelty by the 'Pink Panther' actor, and the 'Wicker Man' star is far happier with her life now than in the decade famed for wild partying.

Asked if she was happier in the 1960s or now, she told The Guardian newspaper: "Well, I was married to Peter Sellers in the swinging 60s, and he was 17 years older than me. He had a heart attack very soon after we married. Nothing to do with me, as has been implied!

"So, no, I never had the swinging 60s. We never went out to clubs, although I did wear miniskirts.

"I was nursing an older, problematic, man. I’m happier today because I have taken care of myself in the way that I have made myself comfortable."

The 'Man with the Golden Gun' actress claimed Peter - who died in 1980 aged 54 - was always "silent" and had few interests, but became a very different person when he "had an audience".

She said: "There was no real Peter Sellers. Peter Sellers only ever lived when he had an audience. He was silent and had no real interests. He had all his gadgets that he loved.

"But if we ate together, maybe once a week, max, we would go from Elstead in Surrey, where we lived, to the Tiberian in London, which was the big Italian restaurant, just to have dinner with a company of people in which he could become a character, tell fantastic stories and everyone would be dying of laughter.

"Then we would get back in the car and drive home in silence. I was a beautiful little Swedish, well-educated wife, but I’m very outgoing, I love good company and I love having a laugh. So it was hard."

Meanwhile, Britt praised her 'Mad with the Golden Gun' co-star, Sir Roger Moore - who played James Bond - as the "perfect specimen of a man".

She gushed: "Not only was Roger a perfect gentleman, but he was a perfect specimen of a man. He was very gorgeous to look at. Not my type, but I can appreciate a good-looking man as much as anyone else.

"He was very friendly, had very good manners and took time with you, and we stayed friends until the end.

"We didn’t really have any sex scenes. The closest I ever got was [to be] hidden away in the wardrobe or on the boat at the end when M comes on the phone and you see us sailing away.

"He was very cheeky, but not in a bad way. He’s one of those actors you always felt really comfortable with."

Tagged in