Princess Diana DID send Burt Reynolds a thank you note for keeping her name out of the headlines

Princess Diana sent a thank you note to Burt Reynolds for keeping her name out of the headlines during his very public split from ex-wife Loni Anderson.

The long-standing rumour was confirmed by Loni, 75, herself during Thursday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

Burt, who died aged 82 in 2018, claimed in his 2015 memoir that Diana had thanked him for distracting the press with his highly-publicised divorce in 1993.

Thanks! Princess Diana sent a thank you note to Burt Reynolds for keeping her name out of the headlines during his very public split from ex-wife Loni Anderson

When quizzed on the rumour during a segment where fans got a chance to ask Loni questions, she confirmed that Diana had personally thanked Burt.

Loni, who is best known for playing Jennifer on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati in the seventies, married Burt in 1988.

The couple, who met at a gala when she infamously told him she wanted to have his baby, split five years later and Loni took custody of their adopted son Quinton.

Public: Burt, who died aged 82 in 2018, claimed in his 2015 memoir that Diana had thanked him for distracting the press with his highly-publicised divorce in 1993

It’s true: The long-standing rumour was confirmed by Loni, 75, herself during Thursday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Around the same time, Diana was going through her divorce with Prince Charles and was plagued with speculation surrounding his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. 

When a fan brought the rumour up, Loni laughed and said: ‘Yes, that’s true.’

Although the host appeared shocked by Loni’s revelation, he didn’t press her any further to tell them more about the Diana story. 

Confirmed: When quizzed on the rumour during a segment where fans got a chance to ask Loni questions, she confirmed that Diana had personally thanked Burt

Reports claim that Burt and Loni split over infidelity, as the actor claimed he had fallen for a cocktail waitress – who later buried him in lawsuits.

The split seemingly drew attention away from Princess Diana’s divorce and she playfully thanked him for doing so.

In an extract from his Enough About Me Extract memoir published in the Daily Mail in 2015, Burt said: ‘We called it quits after five years of marriage. When we announced the separation, the Press went into high gear. 

‘Princess Diana sent me a thank-you note for keeping her off the cover of People magazine. For a long time after the divorce, the tabloids were still calling Loni and me ‘cheesecake and beefcake’.

Rumour mill: Around the same time, Diana was going through her divorce with Prince Charles and was plagued with speculation surrounding his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles

In 2015 it was reported that Burt had finally paid off the outstanding money he owed to ex-wife Loni as part of their divorce settlement, in one of the longest divorce sagas in Hollywood history.

The couple had been battling over the remaining chunk of the money since Burt filed for bankruptcy after paying a little more than half of the sum agreed.

The actress filed court documents six years ago, confirming she had received the outstanding balance of $154,520, according to a TMZ report at the time. 

Loni took the actor to court in 2014 where a judge ordered the actor to pay up the money owed with interest.

At the time The Smokey And The Bandit star had recently sold his waterfront Florida home for a rumored $3.3 million, after nine years of trying and it’s likely that’s how he got the cash to finally pay off his ex-wife. 

The Hollywood star also auctioned off more than 600 items of memorabilia, including the Golden Globe he won for his supporting role in Boogie Nights, at The Palms in Las Vegas.