Steve McQueen’s ex-wife Neile Adams blames ‘free love’ for failed marriage

Circa 1965: American actor Steve McQueen (1930-1980) and his first wife, actress Neile Adams, smile as they attend a Broadway play, New York City. (Getty)

Steve McQueen was a struggling actor when he picked up Broadway star Neile Adams for their first date in 1956 — and she was in for the ride of her life.

“I had never been on a motorcycle before," the 86-year-old told Closer Weekly in the magazine’s latest issue. “He said, ‘Get on and hold on tight.’ I was a convent girl, so I was used to being told what to do. That was the start of our romance!”

And McQueen quickly swept the actress off her feet  — they married later that year.

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“When he was good, he was adorable, and when he was bad, he was a pain in the ass,” she recalled about their marriage.

But as McQueen’s career skyrocketed in Hollywood, their hot romance cooled down in the late ‘60s. Adams blamed the sexual revolution for their crumbling union.

Philippine-born actress Neile Adams lies on top of her husband, American actor Steve McQueen (1930-1980), on a deckchair next to the pool at their home, Palm Springs, Calif., May 1963. (Getty)

“Everybody was having free love and free sex,” she said. “If he could get free love out there, why would he work hard for it at home?”

According to the magazine, McQueen coasted by on his charm — for a while.

“He always brought me presents when he had his affairs with flower children,” Adams admitted.

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Still, she stressed the movie star was completely devoted to their two children.

“Steve was loving and affectionate with them — that never changed,” said Adams.

American actor Steve McQueen on the set of "Bullitt," directed by Peter Yates. (Getty)

Closer Weekly shared that after McQueen’s affair with actress Ali MacGraw, his co-star in 1972’s “The Getaway,” Adams slammed on the brakes and the couple divorced in 1972.

A year later, McQueen married MacGraw. That union lasted until 1978 and then two years later, he married his third and final wife, model Barbara Minty. That marriage lasted until McQueen’s death in 1980 at age 50 from a heart attack after surgery for cancer.

His relationship with Adams is featured in the upcoming biopic “Chasing Bullitt,” which is out March 5.

Adams said McQueen left behind a lasting legacy.

“Our children, our grandchildren, his films and me,” she said.

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Steve McQueen with his family. (Getty)

This isn’t the first time Adams has been candid about her tumultuous marriage to McQueen.

Back in 1986, Adams, then married to businessman Alvin Toffel, released the tell-all “My Husband, My Friend” after her children started asking questions about their father.

“As kids, they were never exposed to the troubles that Steve and I had,” she told the Associated Press at the time. “Steve had been an abused child, and often that results in an abusive parent. But even in his drug-abused state, he always stopped short of harming the children.”

McQueen also stirred trouble in Hollywood with his outrageous demands from studios, as well as his reported drinking. He refused the co-starring role in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” because he insisted on top billing over Paul Newman. The role ultimately went to Robert Redford.

Adams said McQueen’s first affair occurred in 1957 during the filming of “Never Love a Stranger” where he met actress Lita Milan.

“Steve told me after the picture that he had had a fling with her,” said Adams. “She would be the first in a long line of ‘flings’ that would plague us — me — throughout our married life.”

Neile Adams signs a poster of Steve McQueen, her former husband, during a book signing of her autobiography "My Husband, My Friend," on March 31, 2012 at American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Adams also discovered McQueen’s drug use early in their marriage. When they bought their first Palm Springs home, he reportedly drove into the desert to buy peyote. Cocaine later became his “constant companion.”

The Associated Press shared that the most shocking part of Adams’ memory was her claims that McQueen was physically abusive after she admitted her own fling with a European Oscar winner. She alleged McQueen held a gun on her and “exacted the story of the transgression between slaps.”

“Surprisingly and thankfully, he slowly straightened himself up and gave me a look of such hatred that I cringed,” she wrote.

Adams said she remained with McQueen for the sake of their children, along with the hope that he would change. But that was not to be.

After the divorce, Adams gradually resumed her own career on a limited basis while she cared for the children. She married Toffel in 1980 and the pair stayed together until his death in 2005.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.