Ryan O’Neal Admits to Cheating on Farrah Fawcett

Ryan O’Neal Admits to Cheating on Farrah Fawcett

by John Butler | April 9, 2013 at 8:23 PM | Celebrity, Celebrity Relationships

(AP Photo)

A legal battle between Ryan O’Neal and the University of Texas has led to the 71-year-old actor’s admission that he cheated on former girlfriend Farrah Fawcett, according to RadarOnline.

The “Paper Moon” actor confessed in a court deposition that Fawcett ended their relationship after she caught him in bed with another woman.

O’Neal expressed his surprise that Fawcett decided to call it quits on their relationship. “She boxed a few things and sent them to me… I was so surprised. I was with her for 18 years. I only got four boxes, mostly shoes and videotapes,” O’Neal said.

News of O’Neal’s infidelity came to light as he battles Fawcett’s alma mater for an Andy Warhol portrait of the actress. The University of Texas claims that the portrait was left to the school after Fawcett’s death in 2009, while O’Neal contests that he is the rightful owner.

Fawcett and O’Neal struggled as a couple throughout their shaky 18-year relationship that began in 1982. In a 1994 interview with TV Guide, Fawcett said, “Sometimes Ryan breaks my heart. But he’s also responsible for giving me confidence in myself.” Although the two never married, they had a son together. Redmond O’Neal, now 28, has publicly battled drug abuse, with stints in jail and rehab.

Despite reuniting one year before Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006, the ex-Charlie’s Angel wrote O’Neal out of her will. The University of Texas believes that O’Neal stole the painting from Fawcett’s home following her death. He claims that the actress made him keep the portrait in a ploy to make his new girlfriend feel uncomfortable.

“The reason I gave it to (Farrah) is because there was a new woman in my life and the painting was making her uncomfortable; that Farrah seemed to be staring down at her. And so I said, ‘Well, I can fix that.’ I took it to Farrah and said, ‘Keep this for me. I’ll be back,’ O’Neal claims, saying Fawcett replied: ‘I don’t want it because I like it that she’s uncomfortable.’”

In the deposition, O’Neal insists he isn’t fighting for the Warhol painting for his own gain. He believes that Fawcett would have wanted the portrait to go to her son, Redmond, who was awarded $4.5 million in his mother’s will.

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