Madonna’s Ex-Boyfriend: I've 'Traded Up' With Shelley Duvall — 'Dodged Bullet With Material Girl'

Madonna’s ex-boyfriend is dating mentally ill, dirt-poor actress Shelley Duvall — and in a twist he claimed it’s an upgrade!

In an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com, rocker Dan Gilroy said the grass isn’t always greener and especially when the Material Girl is standing on it.

Gilroy, 69, has been by Duvall’s side for more than 27 years, and while Duvall may chain-smoke and ramble on about aliens under her mattress, he still insisted “he dodged a bullet with Madonna,” and that “he’s blessed to be with Shelley.”

Gilroy dated Madonna for 18 months in 1979 when they were young musicians sharing a commune in Queens, N.Y. Now, he declared he “traded up” by settling down with the batty Popeye star!

“Dan knows he and Madonna would never have worked out, and he’s much happier with Shelley than he ever was with her,” dished a pal.

As RadarOnline.com revealed, an almost unrecognizable Duvall, 67, has hit rock bottom and refuses treatment for her mental problems.

Now living on a rundown ranch in rural Texas, the star of The Shining blasted Hollywood for turning its back on her, robbing her blind and leaving her flat broke!

Gilroy talked about the old days with Madonna, saying, “We formed a band, and there’s going to be a new documentary about it.”

Gilroy, who was the group’s lead singer, added that when Madge got a sniff of stardom, she struck out on her own — stiffing the band and him when they sought her support.

“They tried to get Madonna to give them a push, and she always said she’d do something for Dan. But she never looked back for a second,” tattled John Fricano, who was friends with both at the time.

“They were bitterly disappointed because Madonna got to know a lot of people in the music business and didn’t lift a finger to help.”

After his band, Breakfast Club, split up, Gilroy was cast in Duvall’s 1990 TV musical special, Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme — launching their romance.

Since then, bighearted Gilroy has remained by Duvall’s side as she’s battled mental illness.

She recently claimed her Popeye co-star, the late Robin Williams, was still alive and that she had a spying device implanted under her skin.

Today, Duvall ekes by on a monthly Social Security check of just over $1,660, and has said, “I’m very sick. I need help.”

After revealing her mental illness on TV last November, Duvall claimed she was “imprisoned” at an unnamed medical facility.