Barbra Streisand Dishes on Steamy Past with ‘A Star Is Born’ Co-Star Kris Kristofferson: “He Gave Me Hickeys on my Neck”

Barbra Streisand has been telling all in her new almost-1,000 page memoir, My Name Is Barbra, dishing left and right about everything from forgotten flings to advice from Judy Garland.

The 81-year-old icon and EGOT winner reminisced about many a paramour, but one she found especially memorable was Kris Kristofferson. The now 87-year-old award-winning country singer, songwriter, and actor co-starred with Streisand in the 1976 musical romantic drama film A Star Is Born, but even before then she felt an attraction. The actress recalled noticing Kristofferson look “incredibly sexy” during a performance at West Hollywood nightclub, the Troubadour.

After that initial spark, Streisand wrote how the pair began seeing one another in what seemed to be a pretty passionate relationship. “He gave me hickeys on my neck. Thank God I had a two-piece bathing suit by Rudi Gernreich with a turtleneck top to hide them.”

Though their romantic relationship wasn’t mean to last, Streisand and Kristofferson seemed to have maintained a friendship even all these years later, exemplified by their 2019 reunion to sing a duet from A Star Is Born together at Streisand’s British Summer Time festival show at London’s Hyde Park.

A video of the song shows Streisand introduce one of her “favorite leading men” before Kristofferson entered to embrace his former leading lady. The two demonstrated that their easy chemistry and comfortable connection were still very present as they held hands throughout the performance of “Lost Inside of You” in front of the sold-out crowd. Their other A Star Is Born duet, “Evergreen” was the one to ultimately win Streisand and Paul Williams an Academy Award, Grammy, and Golden Globe.

My Name Is Barbra is available now.