'This Would Hurt Him': Sally Field Was Glad Burt Reynolds Never Read Her Confession about Their Romance

Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds deemed actress Sally Field the love of his life, yet he broke her heart and she stopped talking to him for 30 years.

In a candid interview with Vanity Fair in November 2015, actor Burt Reynolds talked about ruining his relationship with actress Sally Field, whom he once described as "the love of my life."

According to Country Living, Reynolds and Field called it quits in the 1980s, and he regretted it later. Reynolds expressed how much he longed for Field, adding the breakup took its toll on him.

"I miss her terribly. Even now, it's hard on me," Reynolds was quoted saying. "I don't know why I was so stupid. Men are like that, you know. You find the perfect person, and then you do everything you can to screw it up." The "The Longest Yard" star further explained:

"There isn't anything, no matter how good it is, or how good it tastes, or how much fun it is, where too much is good for you. It can destroy you."

Reynolds added that one has to learn from their mistakes, and it's a hard lesson. One thing he did not like about himself when he was in a relationship was being cold to his lovers.

Reynolds & Field Met on Set

Reynolds first crossed paths with Field on the set of the blockbuster film "Smokey and the Bandit" where they played love interests. Field opened up about her romance with the Michigan native during her appearance on "Good Morning America."

She revealed that she fell for Reynolds' personality and confidence, and when chemistry ignited between them, things became even more intense while filming the movie:

"We had known each other about three days, four days at that point. It was instantaneous, and four days felt like four years."

Field also believed it was apparent they were madly in love with each other and that there was more to their connection: "There was some ingredient between us having to do with my care-taking of him and him needing to be taken care of," she said.

Per Closer Weekly, Reynolds made Field feel good about herself, and she, in turn, "wanted to be everything he ever wanted." However, she soon regretted trying to please him because it resulted in her losing her authentic self. "I dressed for him, looked for him, walked for him," she claimed.

Field also revealed that Reynold had asked for her hand in marriage several times, but she turned down his proposals each time because she knew they would end up miserable with each other and "his heart wasn't in it."

Even Field's mom felt uneasy about the couple's relationship and warned Reynolds that she was certain he would break her daughter's heart someday.

In November 2015, Reynolds revealed to People that he was smitten by Field, and that their love for each other was genuine. "I really adored her. It was real. She's very, very special. Her mother and I, I loved her mother," he said.

The "Deliverance" star also assured the Academy Award winner's mom that he would not hurt her because that was not his intention. Field's mom thought otherwise. "I know you're going to break her heart, but please be gentle," she asked of him.

Reynolds responded, "I don't know how you could break somebody's heart and be gentle, but I don't intend to break her heart." Yet he did, and Field found the courage to leave him. The pair were together for almost five years before they broke up.

Reynolds Died Days before Field's Tell-All Book Came Out

In an appearance on ITV's "This Morning," Field revealed that Reynolds passed away only four days before the release of her tell-book "In Pieces," where she discussed details about their romance. She said, "it was very, very close. It was kind of horrifying that it was so close."

The California native admitted she did not want to hurt Reynolds more than she had already done. She knew the revelations in the memoir would cause her former lover pain, although she tried to paint him as a "colorful" person.

In September 2018, in an interview with the New York Times, the "Forrest Gump" star reiterated her statement about the possibility of hurting Reynolds if he had read her book She expressed her relief that he would never have to read it and never have to answer questions about their history, as mentioned in her memoir:

"This would hurt him. I felt glad that he wasn't going to read it, he wasn’t going to be asked about it, and he wasn’t going to have to defend himself or lash out. I did not want to hurt him any further."

"The "Steel Magnolias" star described Reynolds as a "controlling and distant" partner and that the "weight" of his fame fueled his tendency to "control everyone around him."

Though the Emmy Award winner said her relationship with the "Hawk" star was "complicated and hurtful," she also shared that there was also some "loving and caring" for one another.

During Field's appearance on the talk show "The View" in September 2018, she revealed that she and Reynolds had not spoken in decades before he passed. However, he did typically attempt to reach out to her during press interviews, just like he always did when they were dating. She recounted:

"I really didn't speak to him for the last 30 years of his life. I would feel him kind of reach out to me via the press. It was something he would even do when we were dating."

Reynolds, who died on September 6, 2018, at the age of 82, was a huge part of Field's life. She acknowledged that once, saying: "Burt was the most important influence that came into my life other than my children." She said the TV icon would forever remain in her "heart" and her "history."