For a long time, Clint Eastwood shared a relationship with Oscar nominee Sondra Locke. But after she passed at the age of 74, the truth about their relationship has come forward. Although they loved each other very much, things were not always roses between Eastwood and his lover Locke. Although she died back at the beginning of November 2018, few people knew the difficult details about how Locke battled cancer for a long time.
Eastwood first came into Locke’s life when she was a married woman. That didn’t stop him from trying to get with her because Locke was not in a traditional marriage. Her marriage was not typical in a way whatsoever. She had married her gay best friend and shared a loving relationship with him as friends. She loved her husband, although it was always in a platonic way. And she remained married to him until the day he died.
Although their relationship proved to not be healthy for Eastwood or Locke, Locke remained with Eastwood for thirteen years. The couple dealt with public controversy over their love. Eastwood was not always a good man to her. He forced her to have abortions twice. The reason was that he believed having children with Locke was “improper.”
Nevertheless, Eastwood fathered children in the 1980s with Jacelyn Reeves. And when Locke found out about Eastwood’s change of heart, their relationship took a turn for the worst.
Eastwood had a controlling approach to his relationship with Locke. In an interview with The Sun, Locke described how he wanted to control everything about her, including how she used birth control.
“Clint complained of the IUD – it was uncomfortable for him,” she wrote. “And he too was not in favor of birth control pills, so he suggested a special clinic at Cedars Hospital where they taught a ‘natural’ method of birth control.”
Because Clint Eastwood wanted to use the “rhythm” method, Locke got pregnant twice, and Eastwood demanded she get rid of it.
“Not only was I taught their method but I was constantly monitored with regular pregnancy checks. The whole process was awkward and entailed taking my temperature every morning and marking the calendar, etc. It was demanding, and ultimately it had failed twice.”
For years, Eastwood mistreated Locke. Eventually, Locke decided to get some help from the law to get what she deserved from Eastwood. She filed palimony in 1989. But it ended out of court with a $1.5 million deal involving Warner Bros. But it was a scam, and she filed another lawsuit against Eastwood for fraud.
Throughout her life and career, the talented Sandra Locke faced turmoil, much during the time of her relationship with Eastwood himself. She never obtained the glory she deserved despite her potential.
Because she trusted Eastwood and thought he was the love of her life, she learned only later that their relationship was not meant to last. Nevertheless, the loss of Sondra Locke must have been a big deal for Eastwood.
May she rest in peace.