Chelsea Handler's ex-boyfriend wasn't happy when she revealed a threesome had led to the end of their relationship.

The 48-year-old comic made headlines over the summer when she explained she knew it was time to end her four-year romance with Ted Harbert when she grew more attracted to the masseuse they were sleeping with than him, but she insisted she didn't realise she had said anything controversial at the time so was stunned when the TV executive messaged her to ask her not to discuss the subject any more.

Speaking on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', she said: "Okay, well I have to tell the truth because I'm incapable of anything else.

"So that one was tricky, because by the time I left the studio, I had already forgotten I'd done it. We do interviews all the time. And I like to, again, tell my personal history as if it's my own, only personal history. And I always forget there are other people involved in my stories."

Explaining her confusion when her watch started buzzing with messages the next day, Chelsea added: "It was a text from my ex-boyfriend Ted Harbert, who is a very dear friend of mine.

"And it said, 'That was not cool, please don't do that again. Some things are better left private.' And I was like, 'What is he talking about? Did I say something?' And then I Googled myself."

But the former 'Chelsea Lately' host insisted she had no regrets about the revelation and claimed it had been good for her former partner's image.

She laughed: "So many people came up to me and they were like, 'Wow, that gave Ted Harbert a lot of street cred. Who knew he was having threesomes?'

"I love you [Ted], if you're watching. Hopefully not."

Despite her previous comments, Chelsea wanted to "clarify" that she didn't leave Ted to start a relationship with their masseuse.

She said: "I really want to clarify. I want to go on the record that that is not why our relationship ended.

"We did have a lot of threesomes‚ and that, while that's private, it's already out there, so I'm gonna double down on that and just say that we didn't break up because I left him for the masseuse. That didn't happen."

Chelsea had made her original comments while speaking to Andy Cohen on SiriusXM.

She said: "I've slept with a woman but I haven't dated a woman, no. It was like a threesome. It was fun. I would [do that again], for sure.

"I was very turned on by this woman. I ended up hooking up with her several times without the guy that I was dating. That's when I knew it was time to break up with the guy.

"I don't think I ever revealed that [to Ted], but I mean, hopefully, he's listening now. His name is Ted Harbert. He's in Portugal though. He might not have access to this ... he and his wife are building a house in Portugal."