Inside Bruce Springsteen’s ‘abysmal’ end to first marriage

Bruce Springsteen on making podcast with Barack Obama As Bruce Springsteen takes the stage at Hyde Park today, the singer is celebrating 32 years of marriage to Patti Scialfa this year but the musicians’ relationship got off to a rocky start. In his hit memoir, Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen candidly opened up on the infamous end of his first marriage, admitting that he dealt with their separation ‘abysmally’. The rockstar confessed that as he rose to fame in the early 1980s he enjoyed years of ‘merry psychosexual carnage’ on the road, but just after his iconic Born to Run tour the singer settled down. Bruce married aspiring actress Julianne Phillips after just seven months of dating and although fans believed she had settled his rockstar ways, his memoir revealed an entirely different interpretation of their marriage. He wrote: ‘There was a part of me, a significant part, that was capable of great carelessness and emotional cruelty. Bruce Springsteen and Julianne Phillips got married at the height of his fame in the 1980s ‘That wanted to wound and hurt and make sure those who loved me paid for it.’ The actress was 10 years younger than the rockstar, who described her as a ‘talented, beautiful and charming young woman’, but right after the wedding he began experiencing severe anxiety attacks. Bruce, who was 35 at the time, recalled feeling ‘scared’ but had tried to ‘keep a lid on it’ to avoid worrying Julianne. Reflecting on his first marriage, the singer now knows he convinced himself of many false issues in their relationship, as he recalled sitting at dinner in a Los Angeles restaurant one night: ‘As we politely chatted by candlelight, hand in hand, a part of me tried to convince myself she was simply using me to further her career or to get something.’ The Born in the USA rocker will be headlining BTS Hyde Park today SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info ‘Nothing could have been further from the truth.’ Previously, the Glory Days singer hadn’t been in a relationship for longer than three years and as their four-year anniversary neared, the couple hastily separated, with Julianne reportedly requesting a no-talk divorce settlement so she could focus on her work. The singer admitted he dealt with it ‘abysmally’ by insisting that their separation remain private, but when the news leaked, explaining that it placed Julianne ‘in a terribly difficult position for a young girl’ when the news leaked and candidly added: ‘I failed her as a husband and a partner.’ Bruce and Patti will be celebrating their 32nd wedding anniversary this year Trending