AIDS, Addiction & Hollywood A**holes — Burt Reynolds Reveals His ULTIMATE Secrets & Scandals In New Tell-All!
Oct. 16 2015, Updated 10:39 a.m. ET
Burt Reynolds is lifting the lid on Hollywood and his life with his brutally honest memoir But Enough About Me.
Burt Reynolds isn't holding back on scandalous revelations in his new book titled But Enough About Me. RadarOnline.com has obtained an exclusive look and can reveal some of the actor's biggest secrets from the tell-all, which hits bookshelves on Nov. 17.
Ron Galella Archive – File Photos 2010
Reynolds writes that Hollywood turned its back on him in the '80s at the height of his stardom over a false rumor that he was dying of AIDS. "It wasn't just the usual a**holes," writes Reynolds, now 79. "It was people I thought were my good friends."
Ron Galella Archive – File Photos 2010
His weight had plummeted 40 pounds because of a mystery illness. His make-up man and dentist refused to even touch him over the AIDS scare, he writes. "I told everyone it was a broken jaw but nobody believed me."
Eastman Kodak’s First Annual Eastman Second Century Award Salute to Burt Reynolds and Steven Spielberg
Reynolds, who admits that he was "a bag of bones," was eventually diagnosed with temporomandibular disorder, also known as TMD or TMJ, which affects the joint connecting the jaw and the skull. However, he notes, "So many friends had deserted me, I joked that I was saving lots of money on Christmas cards."
Ron Galella Archive – File Photos 2010
Reynolds writes that his nightmare continued after he became hooked on the Halcion drugs he'd been prescribed to help him with the TMJ. Ignoring his doctor's advice to check into the Betty Ford Clinic, he says he went cold turkey. "I fell into a coma and at one point the doctors thought I might die," he reveals, "but after about 8 or 9 hours I regained consciousness. I never took another Halcion."
Ron Galella Archive – File Photos 2010
Years later, he writes, he had another battle with prescription pills following back surgery and that time he did decide to go into rehab.
Burt Reynolds
Reynolds' love life was another minefield, especially his marriage to actress Loni Anderson. "The truth is, I never did like her," he writes, adding that while Anderson looked gorgeous, when he was with her he would be thinking: "This is not the person for me. What the hell am I doing with her?"
43rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards – Arrivals
Reynolds almost left Anderson at the altar, but he decided to go through with the ceremony at the last second. "On the way to the ceremony my best man, Vic Prinzi, said, 'Do you really want to do this?" Reynolds writes in But Enough About Me. "No, I don't," he replied, adding that he didn't want to jilt Anderson because his mother loved her. "I hate to break this to you," said his friend, "but your mother can't stand Loni."
Eastman Kodak’s First Annual Eastman Second Century Award Salute to Burt Reynolds and Steven Spielberg
The actor says Anderson plunged him deep into debt with her wild spending sprees. She maxed out his $45,000 American Express credit card limit in 30 minutes and bought everything in triplicate, including everyday dresses, jewelry, china and linens. She would buy a $10,000 designer gown and only wear it once, he adds.
Diana, Princess Of Wales In Sydney, Australia
Reynolds says when they eventually split after five years of marriage the media furor was so intense Princess Diana sent him a thank you note for keeping her off magazine covers.
Reynolds also dishes on some of Hollywood's biggest names. He admits to always having "a thing" for Bette Davis and dated singer and TV star Dinah Shore, who was 20 years his senior, but they split because he wanted a child. "Breaking up with Dinah was the hardest thing I'd ever done," he confesses. "I could barely function for weeks."
Best Friends
On a date with Farrah Fawcett, he couldn't get a borrowed Ferrari out of third gear, leaving the Charlie's Angels star in hysterics, and he writes that Kurt Russell never liked him because he once dated Goldie Hawn.
“Golda” Gala
Reynolds fell for Sally Field on the set of Smokey and the Bandit and they made four movies together. Although they proposed to one another "more than once," the timing was always wrong and they lost touch after they split. "I'm sorry I never told her that I loved her, and I'm sorry we couldn't make it work," he writes. "It's the biggest regret of my life."