On the Road: Pattie Boyd

On the Road Don’t marry a pop star!

Photographer and model Pattie Boyd, ex-wife of George Harrison and Eric Clapton, CAN remember the sixties. By Louise Flind

Is there anything you can’t leave home without? My lipstick and my dog, Freddie, an Irish terrier.

What are your earliest childhood holiday memories? Going to my grandfather’s farm in Cornwall with my brother, which I loved. I grew up in Kenya till I was ten.

How did your modelling career come about? I was working and a woman asked me if I’d ever thought about modelling and I said, ‘No,’ but in fact it was a secret dream. She said come and see me on Monday and she had a photographer in the studio. He photographed me and very sweetly introduced me to my agent – and it was hard work from then on.

Was it while you were modelling that you became interested in photography? Yes, and I started dating a photographer and he encouraged me to buy a camera.

What was it like modelling in the ’60s? Were you asked to do things you didn’t want to do? I thought it was great fun and I loved meeting all the different girls. Sometimes the clothes were ghastly and other times they were really gorgeous. My agent always said I didn’t do nudes or underwear – so there was no stepping over the line.

What was Twiggy like? Adorable, so sweet. We became friends and Justin [de Villeneuve] did really good photos for Italian Vogue of the two of us. By then, we were copying how each other did make-up, the way girlfriends do. If you remember the ’60s, you weren’t there – is that true? I think that’s rubbish – I mean, I remember the ’60s.

Which photographer did you most enjoy working with? David Bailey, because his photographs were amazing – but the photographer who was the nicest and kindest was Barry Lategan.

How did you meet

George Harrison? My agent sent me to an interview and there were lots of girls sitting around waiting. When I went into the room, I recognised one of the guys, Richard Lester, the director of A Hard Day’s Night and Help! Later my agent phoned to say I’d got a part in a Beatles film.

You were married to George from 1966 until 1977. Did you remain friends after splitting up? Yes, we did.

Did George forgive Eric Clapton over your leaving him and marrying Eric [they were married from 1979 to 1989]? Their relationship was guitars and playing guitars, and music was something that never broke them as friends. It didn’t really involve me, whether I was with Eric or with George.

What are your tips for marrying a rock star? Don’t. I will say one thing – you have to have your own passion that you’re following, so that you don’t follow him.

Were George and Eric similar, besides being rock stars? Not really – they were very different people. Do you still play the dilruba? No [she laughs]. Far too difficult…

Are you still a vegetarian? No [she laughs again]. George and I were vegetarian for about four years.

Where did you go on your honeymoons? George and I went to Barbados, and Eric and I went to Jamaica.

Do you have a daily routine even when you’re away? Do a little meditation, put on some sunscreen and then greet the day.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? I had an exhibition in Beijing and they promised they were taking us to a wonderful restaurant – I did tell them quite firmly that I don’t eat dogs. There was a huge version of a lazy Susan with plates of things and there was a chicken head covered in a sort of gelatinous substance. You could see the shape of the chicken’s head and the beak, but cut off at the neck – I resisted that delicacy.

Do you have a go at the local language? I’ve still got a bit of schoolgirl French.

What’s your biggest headache? Queues: for getting onto a plane, for your suitcase – waiting around, wasting time and there’s nothing you can do. You want to throw a tantrum.

What is the strangest place you’ve ever slept – while being away? There’s an island off Bali called Lombok. About 15 years ago, we were sleeping in a bedroom on stilts with a wooden structure on three sides and the other was open to the sea – it was glorious and a bit scary.

What are your top travelling tips? Rolling your clothes is better than packing them flat.

My Life in Pictures (Reel Art Press, £39.95) by Pattie Boyd is out on 18th October