Bo Derek Reveals She Regrets Breaking Up John Derek And Linda Evans' Marriage
If there's one thing Bo Derek has regrets about in life, it's breaking up the marriage of John Derek and Linda Evans. The actress, now 63, was just a 17-year-old teen at the time who didn't understand the implications of her actions when she and 46-year-old John had an affair.
Actress Linda was his third wife. Opening up to the Daily Mirror, Bo revealed, "That still breaks my heart. Being part of breaking up a marriage is a horrible thing and I still can't believe I was a part of it."
"When I look back on being 17 with a 46-year-old man, I thought I knew everything. It felt right at the time. I was so in love with him," she continued. "At 17, I felt I knew everything and was ready to take on the world. To fall in love with this exciting man and live in Europe was a dream."
Despite their age difference, the two ended up getting married in 1976. Prior to tying the knot, John left Linda and he and Bo moved to Europe since she was under 18, which was the age of consent in her home state of California.
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The couple stayed together until John's death in 1998. He died of congestive heart failure at the age of 71. Bo went on to have a relationship with and eventually marry actor John Corbett.
The couple first met in 2002 after being set up by John Corbett's friend, agent Norby Walters. “I said, ‘I’m not dating anyone,’ and he said, ‘I’ll get you a date, Corbett!’ And he set me up with Bo,” the Sex and the City star shared.
Bo revealed that she hadn't dated since the death of her first husband. “I kept saying to my friends, ‘I’ll wait until all the sparks and all that get going.’ And it finally happened," she said.
In a 2021 interview, John Corbett revealed that he and Bo secretly tied the knot during the 2020 holiday season. “We’re pretty private people. We didn’t make an announcement. All our friends and family knew,” he shared. “But this is the first time either one of us has said anything publicly about it because really we haven’t had an opportunity. So, you’re my buddy and now I guess I’m telling all of America, or the world."
Bo later went on to praise Linda, now 77, for being gracious despite the fact that the actress broke up her marriage. "She's such a beautiful human and I'll never forgive myself. I'll never make that mistake again — I'm forever sorry to her," Bo said.
"Linda's the last person I'd have expected to say yes," she continued, referring to Linda agreeing to be in her documentary. "I was completely blown away. It brought back a lot of the sad times when I was beginning my relationship with John. It was a very painful time for everyone involved. I look back at that time in my life as a terrible mistake. I think she's been so extremely kind to me and I don't know why."