British musician Mick Fleetwood has opened up about his affair with bandmate Steve Nicks, revealing it eventually led to a great friendship between the two.

Fleetwood co-founded the band in 1967 and first met Nicks in the 1970s.

She was invited to join the group in 1974 and subsequently began a relationship with Fleetwood, which lasted several years while he was dating model Pattie Boyd, according to the New York Post.

Fleetwood now admits that rather than ruining their relationship, the romance led to friendship.

In his memoir, Play On, he writes, "It suited something in our make-up for a while and we were each other's perfect playmates.

"That's not all it was, but that's what we needed and what we needed it to be. It was the perfect fantasy."

Following his affair with Nicks, Fleetwood began dating Sara Recor, the wife of a music manager and Nicks' best friend.

The couple subsequently wed in 1988, but divorced in 1995.