Single and Frail Sally Field's Lingering Pain Over Lost Love Burt Reynolds Revealed: She Always Knew Relationship 'Wouldn't Last'

Their romance hit Hollywood like a cannonball – but insiders say Sally Field always knew her relationship with Burt Reynolds "wouldn't last".

RadarOnline.com can reveal the single 77-year-old actress, who was spotted looking frail and unrecognizable while walking her dog in Los Angeles earlier this month, spent years drowning in depression and insecurity before linking up with Reynolds for Smokey and the Bandit in 1977.

She once said: "Burt was the most important thing that ever happened in my life. He rescued my career and literally put me to work. He gave me a new lease on life."

Passions also flared when Field and Reynolds, who passed away at 82 in 2018, got together on the Smokey and the Bandit set almost 50 years ago.

Field said at the time: "I've never felt this way about a man before. I loved my ex-husband, but he was my friend and I loved him as a friend.

"It is another thing completely with Burt. We get together like pieces of a puzzle, Burt and I – he gives me self-confidence and I pound on the door of his emotions until he lets them out."

During their five years together, the Forrest Gump actress devoted herself completely to Reynolds.

But their hot and heavy romance started to fizzle in 1979 and 1980 when Field was nominated for – and ultimately won – the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Norma Rae.

Reynolds "abandoned" Field and refused to attend the 1979 Cannes Film Festival with the then-starlet to promote Norma Rae. He also reportedly refused to be her date for the Oscars in 1980.

Author Dave Karger, who interviewed Field for his 2024 book 50 Oscar Nights, said: "I have a hard time understanding what Sally Field told me about how unsupportive Burt Reynolds was.

"This was at the time when she was receiving all of this acclaim for Norma Rae."

He continued: "I got the sense in the interview that it all came as a surprise to her.

"But it also showed her that this was not a relationship that was meant to last. I think she realized that she needed to be with someone who was going to be more fully supportive of every aspect of her life."

Karger added: "I can only guess that there were issues of control and jealousy. Reynolds was uncomfortable with the thought of Field reaching the pinnacle of success in the industry.

"I think it's really unfortunate that he couldn't have been more supportive publicly and privately."

But even though Field and Reynolds split for good in 1982, the actress called Reynolds the "love of (her) life" in a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair.

She also acknowledged her love for Reynolds in a touching tribute following his heart attack death in 2018.

Field said: "There are times in your life that are so indelible, they never fade away.

"They stay alive, even 40 years later. My years with Burt never leave my mind. He will be in my history and my heart, for as long as I live. Rest, Buddy."

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