Beautiful love stories from the life of celebrities. Perfect star couples: stories of true love. The story of a great inventor and his great wife

"What Russian heart does not tremble, does not startle, listening to Tchaikovsky's romance "Among a Noisy Ball"?"

Vladimir Stasov.


In the midst of a noisy ball, by chance, In the anxiety of worldly fuss, I saw You, but Your secrets covered my features.

Many people remember these verses by Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817-1875) and the melody of Tchaikovsky's romance merging with them. But not everyone knows that there are living events behind the poem: the beginning of an extraordinary romantic love.

They first met at a masquerade ball in the winter of 1850-51 at the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theater. He accompanied the heir to the throne, the future Tsar Alexander II, there. From childhood, he was chosen as a playmate of the Tsarevich and, secretly burdened by this, regularly bore the burden of being chosen. She appeared at the masquerade because, after the break with her husband, the Horse Guardsman Miller, she was looking for an opportunity to forget herself and dissipate. In the secular crowd, for some reason, he immediately drew attention to her. The mask covered her face. But gray eyes looked intently and sadly. Fine ashy hair crowned the head. She was slender and graceful, with a very thin waist. Her voice was mesmerizing - a thick contralto.

They did not speak for long: the fuss of the colorful masquerade ball separated them. But she managed to impress him with the accuracy and wit of her fleeting judgments. She, of course, recognized him. In vain he asked her to reveal her face, to take off her mask... But she took his business card, giving a sly promise not to forget him. But what would have happened to him, and to both of them, if she had not come to that ball then? Perhaps it was on that January night of 1851, when he was returning home, that the first lines of this poem formed for him: In the midst of a noisy ball, by chance, In the anxiety of worldly bustle, I saw You, but Your mystery covered the features ...


This poem will become one of the best in Russian love lyrics. Nothing is invented in it, everything is as it was. It is full of real signs, documented, like a reportage. Only this is a “reportage” that poured out from the heart of the poet and therefore became a lyrical masterpiece. And he added another immortal portrait to the gallery of "muses of Russian romances." The future was hidden from him. He did not even know if he would see her again ... Soon after that meeting at the masquerade ball, he received an invitation from her. "This time you won't escape me!" - said Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, entering the drawing room of Sofya Andreevna Miller.


Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, who combined kindness, tenderness, delicacy and vulnerability of the soul with truly masculine beauty, heroic growth and physique and huge physical strength, was a pure, chaste, direct nature. He was like that in love too - monogamous, not bowing before his mother's imperious unwillingness to recognize this love, waiting twelve years for Sofya Andreevna to get a divorce in order to finally unite his life with her forever. In 1878, three years after the death of Alexei Tolstoy, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the music for the poems "Among the Noisy Hall", music as pure, gentle and chaste as poetry.

G. Ots, M. Magomaev, Yu. Gulyaev sing Material from the page of the St. Petersburg singer Sergei Rusanov.

On the eve of Valentine's Day, we decided to recall the stories of the great novels of the 20th century - those that shocked the world and in one way or another influenced modern society. The most touching and passionate, happy and unhappy novels famous people, stories of mutual love and ostentatious prosperity, marriages of people equal in their greatness and the most famous misalliances.

Wallis Simpson - Edward VIII English

The story of the most famous misalliance in recent history has received an incredible response as the English monarch Edward VIII(1894-1972) became the first and only king in the history of England to voluntarily abdicate. The reason was a passionate love for a twice-divorced American woman.

It was not even a scandal - it seemed that the end of the world had come and the collapse of the moral and ethical norms and foundations of secular society.

The heir to the main monarchy of the world turned 36 years old when he met Mrs. Wallis SimpsonWallis Simpson(1896-1986), née Warfield. The woman was married for the second time and lived in London with her husband, a wealthy entrepreneur Ernest Simpson.

The fateful meeting happened in early November 1930, when the Simpsons were invited to a dinner party where the Prince of Wales was to attend. The legend says that English prince was fascinated at first sight, although Wallis was not even a beauty. According to contemporaries, she was unremarkable at first glance, special, but in communication she had an amazing charm.

Amazingly, the lovers did not hide their feelings, despite the status of Edward and Wallis's marital status. They appeared together on the streets, social events and in restaurants. The royal family did not even think that this shameful hobby would last long. But when it became clear that the romance was dragging on, attempts were made to hide the details of the prince's relationship from the public.

In January 1936, King George V of England died and Edward assumed the throne. In parallel, Wallis filed for divorce. Neither the royal family nor Parliament wanted to hear about Edward's legal union with an American. Edward was given a choice: either the throne or Wallis. His choice was unequivocal: the price for love was the abdication of the English throne.

On December 10, 1936, Edward VIII delivered his famous speech to the people: “You all know the circumstances that forced me to abdicate the throne. But I want you to understand that in making this decision, I have not forgotten about my country and empire ... But you must also believe that it is impossible for me to fulfill my duty as a king in the way I would like it to be, without help and support for the woman I love…”

The couple lived happily ever after, traveled, wrote memoirs. Them family idyll continued until 1972, until Edward died of cancer.

Vivien Leigh - Laurence Olivier

The most famous couple of British theater and film actors Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier challenged the puritanical England of the 1930s when she stopped hiding her whirlwind romance. The difficulty of the situation was that both were married. The spouses did not give them a divorce, and the need to live in sin, deceit and an atmosphere of universal censure forced Vivien Leigh to give candid interview magazine The Times, where she honestly outlined the details of the personal drama. The public unexpectedly went to meet the favorites of the public who were leaving for America - it was there that Vivien won her right to play Scarlett O'Hara in the film adaptation « Gone with the wind» .

Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were not just movie stars, but intellectual actors who achieved the status of great performers. Both shone in the theater and cinema, and their love story unfolded on stage and in life - unlike most acting couples, they worked perfectly together in the frame and on stage. So, they played together in the film "Flames over England" (1937) and the classic film version of "Lady Hamilton" (1941), where Lawrence played the role of Nelson, and Vivien - Emma Hamilton . In addition, they were united by a huge number of joint theatrical works. Their tandem was recognized in their homeland as the most outstanding theatrical duet. Lawrence was called "the king among actors", and Vivienne became a national treasure after receiving two "Oscars" for her roles as Scarlett in "Gone with the Wind" and Blanche Dubois "A Streetcar Named Desire" . Her international fame gained momentum. The image of the world's first beauty and the main British actress, as well as the marriage, which was called the happiest among acting unions - all this seemed like a dream come true for millions of viewers.

But there was no happy ending in this love story. Bright life two excellent actors was not so cloudless. As you know, Vivienne was a woman of incredible inner strength, achieving what she wanted at any cost. All biographers vied with each other to tell how she twice made fateful promises to herself. For the first time - being still an unknown actress who saw the famous Laurence Olivier. After the first meeting, Vivienne resolutely told everyone she knew that she would marry him. At the time it seemed like pure madness. The second time she made a big promise was on the eve of the filming of Gone with the Wind, when the biggest film casting in the history of the United States was gaining momentum. The first Hollywood beauties dreamed of playing Scarlett, no one believed in the success of the visiting Englishwoman. "Larry will not play Rhett Butler, but I will play Scarlett!" Vivienne then announced.


It was said that Vivien was more practical than Larry in all matters, but, like a true woman, she gave the impression that her husband made all decisions. A strong character, however, was also her problem - like many great actresses, she had an extremely mobile psyche. Each absence of her husband for shooting could end in depression for her, and work on the role could lead to attacks of obsession. Her genius, turning into whims and wayward attacks, began to annoy her husband.

After 17 years together, Lawrence left her, unable to withstand another bout of hysteria. The actress was already seriously ill. Many fans of the actress consider Olivier, first of all, not a brilliant actor, but a cowardly traitor - depression aggravated the course of the disease, and Vivien Leigh died of pulmonary tuberculosis in the summer of 1967 at her home in Ethan Square in London.


Eva Duarte - Juan Peron

Evita- a household name in Argentina and the most famous first lady of the twentieth century. Second wife of the 29th and 41st Presidents Juan Peron, Eva (Eva Duarte) was an example of an ideal communicator, diplomat and ideological inspirer of the first person of the state.


She was born into a poor family and devoted her whole life to the struggle for Better conditions existence. Legend has it that the young actress and the colonel became lovers on the very first day they met. Peron, who initiated the military coup, might not have had so many ambitions if not for Eva, who made him believe that he would definitely become the head of government. Perón appeared openly with his young girlfriend, shocking the officers with his relationship with the actress.

After the arrest of Peron, October 17, 1945 happened - this date went down in the history of Argentina as the day of "the liberation of Peron by the people." 5,000 workers and their families gathered in the May Square in Buenos Aires in front of the presidential palace, demanding "the return of the colonel." After such support, Peron began to prepare for the presidential election, having previously married Eva, who immediately left her job in the cinema and entered the headquarters of his closest aides. Peron relied on feminist slogans, and therefore wanted to have a wife next to him, a presidential candidate, personifying the increased role of women in the modern world.

Eva turned out to be so energetic that she began to play one of the main roles in the government under Peron, although she did not officially hold any post. She founded charitable foundation named herself to help the poor and since 1949 has become one of the most influential people in Argentina. In addition, she was right hand and adviser to Juan Peron, although gradually came to the fore in their tandem. The charismatic Evita very quickly turned into a cult personality, her popularity was supported by propaganda - Eva, with all her proximity to power, was the idol of left-wing youth, like Che Guevara. Estimates of her life and personality are contradictory, but it is Eva Peron who is considered responsible for attracting women to public and political life Latin America.

Eva Peronumla died at the age of 33 from uterine cancer. Juan Peron after her death was destined to become the President of Argentina again. Notably, his next wife, Maria Estela Martínez de Perón, a former nightclub dancer, became the first female president in history after his death.

Grace Kelly - Prince Rainier

There was no great love in this union. However, the history of the relationship between the most mysterious Hollywood actress and the Prince of Monaco is inscribed in the history of the greatest novels of the 20th century.


Favorite actress of the "King of Horror" Alfred Hitchcock, Grace Kelly different from most Hollywood stars. She acted and looked like a true princess due to her Nordic appearance and restrained manner, although, as is often the case, behind a beautiful facade was an amorous and passionate nature, prone to both adventurous short ties and calculated profitable relationships. Beautiful, cold, seemingly inaccessible, Grace Kelly misled men - it seemed that there simply could not be a more inaccessible star. However, there were legends about the promiscuity of the actress on the sidelines - she could surrender on the first day of her acquaintance to an ordinary cameraman from the set, while accepting the courtship of the Iranian Shah. Many biographers are seriously talking about the nymphomania of the actress and a slight mental disorder associated with playing inaccessible snow queen. So, during the filming, she always entered into love affairs with partners on the set, and on the set of the film High Noon, not only her partner Gary Cooper, but also the director of the film, Fred Zinneman, became her lovers.

The halo of purity and purity, which Grace Kelly cultivated in her image, worked for her - in Hollywood she was given the nickname "Miss High Society" and they believed that she should marry only a real prince. Angelic appearance and the right image did their job - it was she who was married to the Prince of Monaco Rainier III (Rainier III).

An epochal acquaintance that changed the fate of the whole state happened in 1955. Rainier III had long been looking for a worthy spouse, since the fading economy of the ruined state of Monaco required decisive measures. Marrying a well-known Hollywood beauty with a good reputation could attract investment and arouse the interest of tourists in the region. All that was left was to choose a bride. Grace Kelly seemed like the perfect fit - impeccable manners, classic elegance, meek eyes. After a short romantic correspondence, the young people agreed on a wedding.

Monaco is not a state where marriage with a star would be considered a wild misalliance. Prince Rainier was a good politician, and therefore his calculation to attract an Oscar-winning Hollywood beauty to the royal wedding became one of the most successful PR moves in history. The fabulous wedding, which took place in 1956, not only revived interest in Monaco, but turned the region into one of the most prestigious on the planet.

The country idolized its new princess- Grace gave Monaco heirs and new economic opportunities. The flow of tourists and investments has turned the troubled region into a prosperous financial center. Grace's life was like a fairy tale: couture outfits, shooting in palaces for glossy publications, international trips with visits.

But in fact, everything was not so cloudless. Grace, who managed to curb her temper and with all her passion got used to the new image, suffered from the difficult nature of Rainier, and secular duties made her forget about the personal. After forty-five, the princess had health problems - she began to gain weight. Beloved children - two daughters and a son - grew up and turned into scandalous gossip heroes. Grace was horrified to recognize in the indomitable daughters who ran away from home, neglected secular duties and had affairs with bodyguards, a young self, suppressing instincts in the name of a new role that wrote her name in history.

In 1982, Grace Kelly lost control of her car and got into a car accident. Her daughter, who was also in the car, got off lightly. The injuries of the princess herself turned out to be incompatible with life - the next day, by decision of Prince Rainier, the life support apparatus was turned off.

Reporters still consider Kelly's death not as clear cut as it seemed from the outside.

Maria Callas - Aristotle Onassis

A story of passionate love and humiliation - this is how the novel of the great opera diva and the richest man in the world in the middle of the 20th century can be characterized.


Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis- a cult personality, a billionaire who prefers to communicate with representatives of the elite of different countries - he was a dear guest at a reception and social events of any level. He surrounded himself with the most beautiful women from influential circles, whom, however, he often used for his own purposes - to achieve personal or business goals. He experienced a real feeling only once - in 1959, when he met a young opera singer Maria Callas whose talent was applauded by the whole world.

Callas (real name) Cecilia Sophia Anna Maria Kalogeropoulos) was born to Greek immigrants in the United States. She married very well and was happily married - her husband was a wealthy Italian industrialist Giovanni Battisto Meneghini, a great connoisseur of opera, who fell in love with the singer at first sight. He became for Maria not only a faithful spouse, but also a devoted manager and a generous producer who sold a business for her and lived only in her interests.

Onassis noticed Maria Callas at a ball in Venice, later got to her concert, and then invited her and her husband to his legendary yacht "Christina" - main character unprecedented luxury of the time. The Greek magnate, who was also married, was shocked by the magnificence of the singer, for the first time in his life, passion turned out to be stronger than the voice of reason. Maria Callas, who had made a career of being a huge obese woman, had lost more than 30 kg by that time and was in excellent physical shape.

The events that unfolded on the luxury yacht "Christina", cruising the Mediterranean, amazed the public. Forgetting about decency, Onassis and Callas not only had an affair in front of the spouses and guests, but also defiantly reveled in their love - they danced to the music on the deck and disappeared all night long until morning.

Discouraged, Meneghini could not find a place for himself and felt like a real fool. Even then, he hoped for the prudence of his wife and was ready to forgive the holiday romance, but the lovers did not think of parting. Onassis and Callas began to live together. Having achieved his goal, Onassis turned from an ardent lover into a rude and despotic roommate who was in no hurry to register a relationship. Mary's compliance and sacrificial love gave rise to Onassis's unpunished cruelty towards her - he began to insult her with friends, openly cheat on her and even raise a hand against her. Kallas meekly endured, which provoked even greater bouts of aggression from her lover.

The opera diva, blinded by love, stopped giving concerts and tried to cultivate sacrifice in herself - she decided to devote herself to love, even if it cost her to give up her self-esteem. She lost her voice and withdrew into herself, even the memories of her magnificent triumph at La Scala did not give her peace - she lived in the hope of re-experiencing the feelings that she experienced on the Christina yacht .

In October 1968, Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis married the widow of the President of the United States. Jacqueline Kennedy. His cohabitant Maria Callasus learned about it from the newspapers. The blow was so strong that she withdrew into herself and did not leave her apartment. A little more than a month passed when Onassis, who realized his mistake, rushed to Paris, begging his former lover for forgiveness. Aristotle tried to assure Mary that marriage to Mrs. Kennedy was an image deal for him, a PR move that had nothing to do with normal human relationships.

Former US First Lady Jackie Kennedy turned out to be a cold, energetic and prudent woman - she devoted herself entirely to consumption. There were legends about Jacqueline's extravagance: she bought hundreds of creations of eminent couturiers and left them unpacked in closets, constantly traveled around the world and spent such sums on entertainment, furs and diamonds that even fantastically rich Onassis clutched his heart. Jackie bought designer clothes literally from stores. Being a recognized style icon, she allowed herself to experiment - she appeared in public in short skirts and transparent dresses, and social life occupied her much more than the illness and suffering of her elderly spouse. When he died in a plane crash The only son billionaire Alexander, Onassis almost went crazy - everything in his life lost its meaning. Last years he lived on, finding peace only in communion with his beloved and all-forgiving Mary.

He died in a Paris hospital on March 15, 1975. Maria Kallas was next to him, and Jackie was in New York at that time - having learned about the death of Onassis, she calmly ordered a collection of mourning dresses from Valentina.

Elizabeth Taylor - Richard Burton

Relations Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor and a characteristic British actor Richard Burton, who made a brilliant career in Hollywood, is called nothing more nor less than the "novel of the century." Firstly, both of them were stars of the first magnitude, and the era of the paparazzi was just in its infancy - and it was their love story that became the main newsbreak of the era. Secondly, the romance of the two stars was not just stormy, but worthy of film adaptation: love to frenzy, quarrels, fights, separations and reunions - the lovers got married twice and divorced twice, starred together in Oscar-winning films, proudly posed on the red carpet and destroyed rooms in expensive hotels in a fit of drunken quarrels. This lifestyle and the close attention of the world community allowed them to become the first classic celebrities - with sky-high raiders and millions in fees, as well as the most expensive collection of jewelry that the generous Richard gave Elizabeth after every quarrel.


Elizabeth Taylor is one of the true legends of Hollywood and the most famous actresses of all times. Before meeting Richard, she did not yet have a reputation as a dramatic actress - a fatal beauty, she was already married for the fourth time at that time (there were eight marriages in her life, two of which were with Burton) and was considered an eccentric star. Barton, with his incredible dramatic role, had a reputation as a character actor on stage and in life - temperamental and aggressive, he liked to drink and did not try to appear at least a little politically correct.

A stormy romance, followed by the whole world, happened on the set of the film "Cleopatra" in Rome in January 1962. Compared with the scale of that action, the story of modern Jolie and Pitt looks like a timid parody of the majestic epic - Hollywood shot the most expensive film in history (40 million of those old dollars), where the main roles are Cleopatra and Mark Antony - played by the stars that laid the foundation for the gossip genre, millions in royalties, diamonds as gifts, yachts and front pages of newspapers devoted to the vicissitudes of the relationship of the main movie couple of the century.

By 1961, the thirty-seven-year-old Welshman Barton was being called "British Brando". He was happily married to actress Sybil Wallace and the couple had two children. Twenty-nine-year-old Taylor was married to singer Eddie Fisher. The passion that flared up on the set absorbed the actors so much that they didn’t even make an effort to hide their love and didn’t listen to anyone - they continued to kiss when the love scene had already been played and the director said: “Stop!”, made love wherever it was only perhaps they indulged in drunkenness and debauchery and drowned in the abyss of sinful passion.

The hype raised by the newspapers led to the fact that the Vatican officially condemned the relationship between Liz and Richard. They tried to part, but they were drawn to each other irresistibly.

In his best-selling letters today, Barton, blinded by love, wrote: “In my poor and miserable youth, I dreamed only of such a woman. And now, when from time to time the dream comes back to me, I reach out and understand that she is here, next to me. If you haven't met or known her, you've lost a lot in your life."

Eventually, they both divorced their official spouses and married in 1964. Barton showered his wife with diamonds, instilled in her confidence that she had the potential of a deep dramatic actress. They demanded millions of fees from film bosses and in every possible way created a legend of great stars of the first magnitude.

In the second half of the sixties, their famous paintings were filmed - "The Taming of the Shrew", "Comedians", "Boom", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". Per last movie Elizabeth received a second Oscar. Two brilliant dramatic actors in their personal lives experienced painful love on the verge of frenzy, fits of jealousy and addiction to alcohol. “Maybe we loved each other too much ... I never thought that this was possible,” Liz Taylor wrote in her diaries. And in July 1973, she suddenly announced: “Richard and I are parting for a while. Maybe we love each other too much… Pray for us!” The divorce took place in June 1974.

Life apart turned out to be unbearable - the 16 months spent as if in delirium ended in a second wedding. The second marriage lasted from October 1975 to July 1976.

Richard Burton died of a heart attack on August 5, 1984. His death was a terrible tragedy for Elizabeth, despite the fact that at that time she already had another lover. Elizabeth Taylor herself, despite her illnesses and ailments, died at the age of 79 in March 2011. The published letters of Richard Burton, who turned out to be an incredible writer, formed the basis of the book "Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century"(Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century). Today, the main Hollywood directors are fighting for the right to film this story, and the best Hollywood actors - to play the lovers of the brightest drama of the twentieth century.

Frank Sinatra - Ava Gardner

For America Frank Sinatra not only "the most popular singer of the century", but also a real legend and symbol of the era of show business and the golden era of Hollywood with all its attributes - classic glamor, gangsters, millionaires and the halo of greatness and inaccessibility of idols. Sicilian, mafia friend, he is named the most desirable man of the 20th century. His biography, in which incredible creative victories were combined with friendship with presidents and politicians, crime bosses and the first beauties - one of the brightest pages of world culture.


Concerning great history his love, then she was only one. While all the women in his life were passing, including such Hollywood beauties as Marilyn Monroe and Lana Turner, the passion for one woman shocked him so much that the great Sinatra lost his voice, went into a binge and tried to commit suicide.

Her name was Ava Gardner Ava Gardner. An actress, one of the brightest Hollywood stars of the 1940s and 1950s, an incomparable beauty and a woman of incredible temperament, she was famous for her magnetic influence on men. There were legends about the strength of attraction of this fatal beauty. The great Hemingway himself called her a muse and a favorite actress. At the time of the meeting with Sinatra, she had been married twice and was going through a dizzying affair with a multimillionaire Howard Hughes, who first encountered such a wayward woman. The fan indulged all the requests of the beauty: planes, diamonds, outfits.

Frank was married and had three children. He did not consider the family an obstacle to stormy relationships, but the passion of such strength turned out to be more important than the desire for home comfort.

They met in 1950 at the premiere of the film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" The state in which Sinatra was after this meeting is described by his friends and biographers as insanity. “She poured something into my glass!” he justified. The feeling that captured the main star of the era destroyed him: Sinatra suffered, suffered, went crazy with love and jealousy. It was hard for him to compete with Hughes in offering expensive gifts, and his trademark tricks on Ava did not work. Friends did not recognize Frank - he beamed with delight when Ava agreed to have dinner with him, then he walked like a beaten dog when she stopped taking him seriously. "I have got you under my skin" - these words of the famous song Frank Sinatra recorded in one breath late at night, dying of love for Ava Gardner.

Their the best songs he wrote, being in a state of love fever, which did not let him go for a minute, - a ballad "Fool, I wanted you" was the product of his sensual fit.

Sinatra knew how to love to the point of frenzy and madness, and the proud but passionate Ava was impressed by this way of expressing feelings. When she surrendered under his pressure, their bright romance was called by contemporaries nothing more than a “bullfight of love” of two bright personalities and idols of the era. The clash of two southern temperaments resulted in such a passion that swallowed both. Generous, flamboyant, generous, Frank made Ava feel things she didn't get from Hollywood bosses and wealthy fans. They were both witty, energetic, impulsive and emotional, they coincided in everything - in love for strong drinks, delicious food, night boxing fights and love on the verge of frenzy. It was the energy of true love and passion, which was impossible to resist.

At the same time, Frank and Ava met secretly - for the press and society, he was Nancy's husband, and she met with Hughes. A random snapshot of a reporter catching them together made a lot of noise. Avoiding a scandal, Ava flew to Spain, and Frank, who decided that he had been abandoned, lost his voice with grief. He flew to her on the other side of the world, but there a new blow awaited him - his beloved woman had an affair with a bullfighter. He almost committed suicide, but Ava stopped him, promising to return. And deceived again - her affair with Richard Green ended for Sinatra with an overdose of sleeping pills. And Ava gave up. The long-awaited wedding took place in Philadelphia. Several years of absolute happiness were for Sinatra a reward for suffering.

However, even in family life Frank and Ava continued to torment each other with jealousy, quarrels and violent showdown. Frank worshiped Ava as a goddess, kept pictures of her in his office, watched over her, and lost his health in his paranoid quest to possess her completely.

Such an obsession cannot keep in suspense forever - love of such intensity does not stand the test of time. But even after the divorce, which took place in 1957, Frank and Ava continued to meet secretly from time to time - the paparazzi kept catching them in godforsaken hotels under the cover of night.

After Ava, Frank had many women, beautiful and famous, but he never again experienced anything even remotely resembling the all-consuming love that happened in his life. Ava passed away in 1990 at the age of 68. Sinatra lived to 82 and passed away in 1998.

Alain Delon - Romy Schneider

This love story seemed real and sincere, but the ideal romance of European stars did not stand the test of fame, promiscuity and ambition.


Beginning of life Romy Schneider, best actress in the world, according to French and Austrian viewers, it was cloudless and promised only happiness and prosperity. It was impossible to imagine what a nightmare her life would turn out to be.

Romy Schneider and Alain Delon ( Alain Delon) met on the set of a movie "Kristina" in 1958. By that time, the Austrian actress, the star of European cinema and the heiress of the famous dynasty of aristocratic actors was already in the status that she could afford to choose partners. Her choice fell on an unknown French actor.

Love at first sight did not happen to them - the educated and intelligent Romy considered her colleague too young, handsome and dressed up. Alain found his partner completely unattractive. The novel broke out unexpectedly for everyone, because the young people had nothing in common. He is a cynical and cruel homeless child who came out of poverty, she is an intelligent girl from a good family, a symbol of the bourgeoisie, which he despised so much. He rejected any moral foundations and understood freedom as complete indifference to the problems of other people, and she tried to follow burgher principles and could not afford much due to the concepts of decency and duty.

Passion consumed Romy so much that she left for her beloved in Paris. Her principles and lifestyle, dreams of a family and children caused Delon only contemptuous laughter. He openly called her a bourgeois and emphasized in every way that he was free from conventions and obligations. They were irresistibly attracted to each other, but there was never harmony, understanding and respect in these relations. While most considered this novel a misalliance, Delon himself was emphatically rude to Romy, making it clear who needed this relationship more.

The media adored the little angel Romy and condemned the adventures of her companion, but in their desire to make his every step public, they literally killed the actress. The yellow press tracked every step of Delon and Schneider, wrote about all his adventures and ridiculed the naivety of Romy, who forgave the groom of his betrayal and spree. The humiliating fate of Romy Schneider was to endure and be ridiculed. She could not leave due to lack of experience, because of great love and a really naive belief that everything would work out - Delon was able to convince her that tomorrow everything would certainly be different. Meanwhile, he not only destroyed her self-esteem by betrayal and deceit, but gradually moved on to rough treatment and assault.

This went on for over five years. Passionate, painful, full of ambiguity and humiliation, the relationship was cut off by Delon himself. His career went up, their joint film roles turned out to be extremely successful - the relationship experienced at the break of feelings helped the couple play the forbidden love of a brother and sister in a theatrical production Luchino Visconti. Delon was accepted in a theatrical environment, he began to receive serious fees, crowds of fans appeared in his life and that “Dolce Vita” that accompanies the life of every beautiful and successful young actor. Radiant little Romy, who helped him become a star, instilled a love of literature and helped form his own acting method, there was no place in this new life. It was at this time that Romy Schneider became not just a living actress, but a deep, characteristic one, with a strong dramatic temperament.

Delon said goodbye to her through a note, with the wording "We only met at airports." It was his style - cold, cynical, detached. Nothing personal. He soon married an actress Natalie Barthelemy.

Romy Schneider was dying without him. She struggled with her feelings for a man and with a feeling of deep rejection. During the years spent with Alain Delon, one of the best dramatic actresses in Europe completely forgot how to love herself. In the spring of 1966, she remarried. For the sake of Romy, her chosen one is a playwright Harry Mayen left the woman with whom he lived for 12 years. Romy wrote in her diary: “The years spent with Alain were wild, crazy. With Harry, I finally calmed down. In this union, she was looking for respect rather than love.

Perhaps the story of her life would have been different if not for Delon's fatal call in 1968. He convinced Romy and the producers that in the role of his partner in the film "Pool" he sees only her. Stuck in scandals and unsuccessful projects, experiencing the collapse of family life, Delon needed a high-profile successful project to improve his affairs. He needed Romy Schneider not only as a beauty and a great actress - the story of their long-standing relationship was the best PR move. The current status of a faithful wife and mother added spice to the situation.

The film became an explosion, it was bought by many European countries. Newspapers circulated images of Romy and Alain passionately kissing, who were enjoying a relationship renaissance in the posh resort of Saint-Tropez, playing six years after the breakup. The mature beauty of yesterday's cutie Romy shocked - it seemed that she had never been more beautiful and convincing. Alain Delon achieved his goal and again disappeared from her life.

Harry Mayen could not forgive his wife for this, their relationship cracked. He quit his job and started drinking. Romi fell into a severe depression and also became addicted to alcohol. A terrible period began in her life. Divorce, remarriage, suicide ex-spouse. She withdraws into herself and refuses a number of offers, including "Man and Woman", "Last Tango in Paris", but flies to the other side of the world, to Mexico, to shoot a third-rate picture with Delon and shock everyone with candid shootings in Playboy magazine . The biggest tragedy in the life of an actress happens after a divorce from her second husband - as a result of a tragic accident, her 14-year-old son David dies, who ran into a metal fence. The distraught Romy withdrew into herself and communicated only with Delon. She drank a lot and just faded away in front of everyone.

She died on the night of May 29-30, 1982. Everyone knew about the tragedy of the life of the great actress, and no one could believe that she, 44-year-old, had a heart failure. Newspapers came out with headlines "Romy Schneider committed suicide." Later it was officially announced that Romy's heart simply could not stand it. All of Europe mourned the beloved actress. And Alain Delon remained true to himself and sent a dubious appeal called “Farewell, my doll” to the Paris Match magazine.

“The day I stop trusting you will be the last day of my life,” this line from the movie "Kristina" Romi repeated in life. She trusted Delon until the end of her days.

Michael Douglas - Catherine Zeta-Jones

The scale of the passions of modern Hollywood can hardly be compared with the golden age, but in its recent history there are novels worthy of special mention. Love story Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones has long been perceived by skeptics as a demonstration of the proverb about "the demon in the ribs" - the age difference of 25 years and the blooming appearance of a rising Hollywood star did not give rise to optimistic forecasts.


Michael Douglas, who belonged to the famous acting dynasty of Hollywood, has never been number one in the unspoken ratings, but has always been among the top stars. In his professional life, everything was as it should be - from the role of the hero-lover and the hero of action-adventure films in the style of "Indiana Jones", he turned to psychological thrillers, the feature of which was a strong erotic beginning. He received two Oscars and recognition, and later the status of a sex symbol - after his role in the cult "Basic Instinct" With Sharon Stone. In a word, his professional life was a success. In his personal life, he maintained a semblance of well-being in a 23-year marriage and was sometimes seen in affairs that did not bring him satisfaction.

British beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones starred mostly in second-rate films. She no longer dreamed of becoming a star - until the age of 27, the actress continued to be the heroine of category B films. The accidental success of the Titanic mini-series with her participation helped the film producers notice the beauty "Mask of Zorro" With Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas. And, as often happens, the next morning after the premiere, the girl woke up famous. On the very day of the film's premiere, she met the star Douglas, who was so excited at the sight of the sultry beauty that he began to speak outright nonsense. The battered 56-year-old actor fell in love in such a way that he did not even think of offering the young actress the humiliating role of a mistress - all his efforts were directed at conquering the woman who drove him crazy. It was also symbolic that Katherine and Michael were born on the same day - September 25 - with a difference of 25 years.

Despite the fact that in Hollywood they laughed at the habits of the macho Douglas and called him “an erotic playboy” behind his back, there was not a drop of vulgarity and well-established schemes in these relations. Michael understood that after the success of the film "The Mask of Zorro" a whole series of good offers awaits such a beauty, which means fame and all its attendant attributes: fans, millions in fees, photo shoots, social events. He preferred to act quickly in order to be the first to get a girl who was just getting used to Hollywood.

He courted beautifully, old-fashionedly, selflessly, convincing not only Katherine, but the whole world, that this love meant too much to him. Douglas noticeably rejuvenated - a love obsession gave the actor a second youth. After five months of siege, Katherine surrendered. Photos of the paparazzi, capturing a couple in love on the actor's yacht in Mallorca, spread all over the world. Everyone was waiting for a scandal, but the couple said they were going to get married. The scandal, however, happened: the wife of Michael Dinara refused to give a formal divorce until the unfaithful spouse paid her $ 60 million from his 225 million fortune. For the sake of his desire to marry Katherine, the actor paid a giant compensation. In addition, blinded by love, Douglas presented the bride with a unique ring with a 10-carat diamond surrounded by 28 more diamonds, and agreed to a marriage contract, according to which he was obliged to pay his wife in the event of a divorce. ex-lover$ 3.2 million for each year of their life together.

One of the most luxurious weddings in Hollywood history happened on November 18, 2000 at the New York Plaza Hotel. OK magazine paid $ 1.6 million for the right to film this celebration. Among the invitees were Jack Nicholson,Sharon Stone,Brad Pitt,Sean Connery,Anthony Hopkins,Steven Spielberg and even general secretary UN Kofi Annan. The bride was wearing a designer dress from Christian Lacroix embellished with diamonds.

A marriage that was predicted to fail continues to surprise skeptics. He is stable and prosperous - the couple has two common children; Catherine, being pregnant, received an Oscar for her role in the musical "Chicago"; Michael, thanks to the support of his wife, coped with cancer, although he suffered a lot. A rare misalliance becomes so strong alliance. And he is the only one in the history of modern Hollywood that can be called a stronghold of family values.

Nikolai Rubtsov (1936-1971) - an outstanding Russian lyric poet, during his short life he managed to publish only four collections of poems. He was born on January 3, 1936 in the Arkhangelsk region. When the war began, his family moved to Vologda, and his father was soon taken to the front. However, a few months later, the wife of Rubtsov Sr. died unexpectedly, and the children were left alone. So little Nikolai and his brother Boris were sent to Orphanage to the small northern town of Totma. When the war finally ended, the boys hoped that their father would come back and take them home. But he never arrived. He chose to marry, start a new family, and forget about children from his first wife forever. Vulnerable, touchy and too soft, Nikolai Rubtsov could not forgive such a betrayal of his father. He closed himself even more and began to write down his first poems in a small notebook. Since then, he did not stop composing, seriously carried away by poetry.

In the summer of 1950, when seven years of school had been completed, Nikolai entered the forest technical school, and two years later he went to Arkhangelsk, where he worked on a ship as an assistant fireman for more than a year. Then future poet served in the army and moved to Leningrad. By 1962, he published his first collection of poems, he got married, entered the Moscow Literary Institute. It seemed that certainty appeared in life, a little daughter grew up in the family, as the poet Rubtsov became famous among Moscow writers and was considered a rather talented young man. However, due to his addiction to alcohol and drunken brawls, he was expelled from the institute and restored several times again. However, he did not stop drinking.

One of the richest people on earth, the Greek multimillionaire Aristotle Onassis was born on January 15, 1906. He grew up independent, self-confident and courageous, moreover, with early years Ari, as his relatives called him, developed a great interest in persons of the opposite sex. So, when he was barely thirteen years old, he first knew women's caresses. His teacher volunteered to teach the boy the wisdom of love, who became his first mistress and was remembered by Onassis for life. However, his most big love was still ahead.

In the meantime, Aristotle was obsessed with a single idea - to succeed in business and make a huge fortune. After coming of age, in search of a better life, he emigrated to Argentina and got a job as a telephone technician, but in his spare time he was engaged in business. Thanks to numerous transactions, by the age of thirty-two, Onassis already had several hundred thousand dollars. He made a fortune trading in oil, but he did not want to stop there.

An outstanding poet, almost a laureate Nobel Prize, which was given to Boris Pasternak for the novel Doctor Zhivago, was largely due to a woman who entered his life so quickly and suddenly to stay there until the last days, and after the death of her beloved, experience excruciating difficulties and hardships.

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was born in Moscow on January 29 (February 10), 1890 in the family of an artist and pianist. Famous people gathered in their house: artists, musicians, writers, and from childhood Boris was familiar with the most famous people art in Russia. He was good at music and drawing. At the age of eighteen, Pasternak entered the Faculty of Law of the Moscow Imperial University, and a year later he was transferred to the Faculty of History and Philology. The young man wished to become a philosopher. A few years later, with the money raised by a caring mother, the young man went to Germany to listen to lectures from the famous German philosopher. But there, finally disappointed in this science, he went to Italy with the remaining money, and the aspiring poet returned to Moscow with a persistent desire to devote himself to literature and poetry. His search for himself has since been over.

The famous Soviet poetess Veronika Mikhailovna Tushnova (1915–1965) was born in Kazan in the family of a professor of medicine, biologist Mikhail Tushnov. Her mother, Alexandra Tushnova, nee Postnikova, was much younger than her husband, which is why everything in the house was subject only to his desires. The strict Professor Tushnov, who came home late, worked hard, rarely saw the children, which is why his daughter was afraid of him and tried to avoid him, hiding in the nursery.

Little Veronica was always thoughtful and serious, she loved to be alone and copy poems into notebooks, of which there were several dozen by the end of school.

Passionately in love with poetry, the girl was forced to submit to the will of her father and enter a medical institute in Leningrad, where the Tushnov family had moved shortly before. In 1935, Veronika graduated and went to work as a laboratory assistant at the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Moscow, and three years later she married Yuri Rozinsky, a psychiatrist. (The details of life with Rozinsky are unknown, since Tushnova's relatives prefer to remain silent about this, and the poet's family archive still remains unpublished.)

Edith Giovanna Gassion was born right on the street. Her mother, an acrobat of a traveling circus, gave birth on the outskirts of Paris before she could reach the hospital. It happened on a cold December morning in 1915. Soon the girl's father, Louis Gassion, was taken to the front, and the windy mother, not wanting to take care of her daughter, gave her to the house of her alcoholic parents. They had their own ideas about raising a granddaughter: they kept the girl in the mud and accustomed to wine, they sincerely believed that in this way the child would gain strength and be accustomed to all the difficulties of a future wandering life.

When the father came to visit Edith for a few days, the dirty, skinny, ragged girl made such a terrifying impression on him that he immediately took the child and took him to his mother. She, the mistress of the brothel, washed the baby, fed and dressed her in sheer dress. Surrounded by prostitutes who very warmly and carefully received a four-year-old girl, Edith became happy. However, less than a month later, people around began to notice that the girl did not see. Time passed, she was seven years old, and she still could not distinguish even a bright light. The girls from the brothel, having decided that only divine forces could help "little Edith", went to prayer. With the help of God or not, a miracle happened: a week later, on August 25, 1921, the girl received her sight.

The beautiful, independent, always dignified actress Tatyana Okunevskaya (1914-2002) won the hearts of Soviet men - from ordinary workers to influential and famous officials. The audience remembered her as a carefree and cheerful actress. But who knew her heavy, almost tragic life, he understood how difficult it was for her cheerfulness and a charming smile that did not leave her face.

Tatyana Kirillovna Okunevskaya was born on March 3, 1914 in Moscow. In the third grade, the future actress was expelled from school because of her father, who supported the Whites during the Civil War. The girl was transferred to another school, where she managed to gain respect and remain a constant leader among her classmates for seven years. She defended justice so much that somehow, having quarreled with the boys, she was thrown out of the second floor of the school, but, fortunately, escaped with only minor bruises.

Valentina Serova is one of the most bright stars Soviet cinema, an open and sincere beauty, was the muse and the strongest and most reverent love of the no less famous Konstantin Simonov.

Prior to their meeting, Simonov was married twice: to Ada Tipot and Evgenia Laskina, who gave him a son. Serova, having lived only a year with her husband, was left a widow with a child not yet born. Her young husband, pilot Anatoly Serov, died in the line of duty shortly before Serova's meeting with Konstantin Simonov.

The actress could not forget her first husband. Having survived the war, an affair with Simonov, having raised a daughter, she invariably every year, on the morning of May 11, came to the Kremlin wall, where the ashes of the Hero are buried. Soviet Union Anatoly Serov. And by the will of fate, that fateful day, many years later, will become the happiest day in her life: Serova gave birth to a daughter ...

The beloved woman of Albert Einstein, with whom few knew about the affair, was a Soviet subject. For a long time, their relationship was hidden by both the American side and domestic competent authorities. And only at the end of the 20th century, the general public became aware of the love story of Margarita Konenkova and the great scientist, not only from some leaked information from former secret agents, but also from the personal archive of the Konenkovs, which was made public and put up for auction by Sotheby in the late 1980s years.

Materials about Konenkova's stay in America have not yet been declassified, and, perhaps, we will not know much. What she and her husband actually did in the United States remains unclear at this time. Whether Margarita really went there to accompany her sculptor husband, or whether she was on a secret assignment from the Soviet side, she was obliged to obtain information on the development of an atomic bomb by the Americans.

Henri Matisse, the artist of “light and happiness”, who looked at the world through the prism of joy and beauty, once wrote: “I strive for art full of balance and purity ... I want a tired, torn, exhausted person to taste peace before my painting and rest." He admitted that he found joy in everything: in trees, in the sky, in flowers. This was the whole Matisse - a famous French artist who knew how to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, look for light in the darkness and notice love in an indifferent, callous world. “He has the sun in his blood,” Pablo Picasso once said about the artist.

Henri Matisse was born on December 31, 1869 into a poor family. His mother was a seamstress and worked at home, so multi-colored ribbons, scraps of fabric, bows and ladies' hats were scattered throughout the rooms. This motley environment, filled with a variety of colors, was largely reflected in his bright, joyful paintings many years later. Henri grew up as a serious and purposeful boy. However, at the age of twenty, while practicing law and dreaming of becoming a lawyer, he suddenly became interested in painting. After moving to Paris and enrolling in the School of Fine Arts, Matisse began his studies, devoting himself entirely to art.

Fred Astaire (1899-1987) (real name Frederick Austerlitz), one of the most famous dancers of the past century, was born in America, in Nebraska, on May 10, 1899. His father was a native of Austria, he respected the art of dance and sent his children to a dance school from an early age. As they grew up, Fred and his sister Adele decided to form a dance couple and have performed together ever since. They were immediately noticed and began to be invited not only to the famous dance floors of America, but also of Europe, and since 1915, brother and sister took part in musical comedies. In total, they participated in fifteen dance shows. In 1923, they were to perform on Broadway, where the audience greeted the Asters with enthusiasm. At the same time, more attention was paid to Fred than to the thin, graceful Adele. Temperamental, elegant, with a special sense of rhythm, the young man impressed with his talent.

The success of the Aster dance couple was enormous. Ahead of them were tours around the world, participation in the most popular shows and colossal fees for those times. Unexpectedly, Adele got married and, having lost her head from love, left the stage. Fred was alone. After parting with his sister, he decided to go to a screen test, which brought him only disappointment. The verdict was horrifying: “He can’t play. Dancing a little." A thin, clumsy young man seemed ridiculous to the director of the film studio, and his hands with thin, too long fingers were completely unnatural. Fred Astaire walked out of the studio in confusion. Ten happy years that have flown by working with my beloved sister have passed unnoticed. Fred was thirty-three years old, and a suitable partner, whom the dancer had been looking for for several months, was still not found.

Ivan Alekseevich Bunin (1870–1953) was born at dawn on October 10 (22), 1870 in the small Russian town of Yelets. Under the morning crowing of roosters and in the rays of the dawn sun. It was an unusual autumn morning, like an omen that opened the door to life for the poet, full of glory, love, despair and loneliness. Life on the edge: happiness and bitterness, love and hate, loyalty and betrayal, recognition during life and humiliating poverty at the end of the road. His muses were women who gave him delight, troubles, disappointments, and boundless love. And it was from them that the creator left for the world, misunderstood by many, strange and lonely. Once Bunin remarked in his diary after reading Maupassant: "He is the only one who dared to endlessly say that human life is all under the power of a woman's thirst."

Four women were in the life of the great Russian writer, they left a huge mark on his soul, they tormented his heart, inspired, awakened talent and desire to create.

Narcotic Russian-French love

Vysotsky had a rare skill - he could conquer any woman. The key to this phenomenon lay in his unrestrained nature, he was like a splash of champagne, dousing his chosen one with a wave of charm and leading him away. Marina Vlady turned out to be a tough nut to crack and at first resisted, surprised at his self-confidence, with which he said that he would definitely achieve her hand.

Having seen a lot in her 30 years, the actress for the first time did not know what to do, how to relate to this strange person. She went back to Paris and felt a nagging feeling of longing. Where is it from? The answer came with a phone call from Russia. Hearing a familiar velvety voice, Marina realized that she was gone. She was in love.

When bright brutality meets expressive femininity, there can be only one result - love. Although their love was more like a battlefield. For Vlady and Vysotsky, every day lived together was a holiday, they saw each other so rarely. Endless visa requests, huge distances tormented both, but also saved their marriage. It would be difficult for two bright personalities to get along together.

And also Marina and Vladimir fought with ... Vysotsky himself, his addictions, that side of his personality that drew him to the edge of the abyss. They fought with higher authorities for the right to be able to see each other as often as possible. However, now that Vlady is left alone, she no longer remembers the difficulties, she only remembers love.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono

The love of the famous "Beatle" and the Japanese artist

The ill-wishers called her a demon in a female form, and him - an uncomplaining victim. Fans of the Beatles blamed her for the collapse of the famous Liverpool Four. The Beatles themselves disliked her. Except, of course, Lennon. Of meeting Yoko, he said, "It's like I won a big prize." And on the evening of their acquaintance, she wrote in her diary: “It seems that I have found someone I can love,” Yoko always knew exactly what she wanted.

And now Lennon began to receive postcards with the inscriptions "Breathe", "Dance", "Watch the fire before dawn." Yoko called him and talked to him for hours about art. Watched at the house. She wanted to win him over. And she succeeded. After some time, John discovered that he was not indifferent to her. After a while, John discovered that he did not want to live a single day without her. “The child of the ocean is calling me,” he sang in one of the songs. (Yoko means "child of the ocean" in Japanese).


By the age of 27, John Lennon had crazy popularity, a millionth fortune, a house with 100 bedrooms, luxury cars, a wife and a son. He had everything and he was bored. Yoko also missed her and was looking for something new. They immediately divorced their previous spouses and got married. Their honeymoon took place in Amsterdam, causing a buzz with their "bed interviews". The reporters gathered at the door of their Hilton suite expected the controversial couple to wish to give interviews while having sex, but Yoko and John, in white pajamas, sat on the bed in the flower-decorated suite and talked about peace - it was their protest against the Vietnam War.

The album "Two Virgins" also came out shocking. On the cover, Yoko and John were photographed naked, and there was no music at all in the album - only groans, squeaks and other sounds. They participated in demonstrations, made films, John recorded songs. However, critics wrote: "The songs have become weaker." Former fans said: "Yoko John is not good." John developed depression again. Youko suggested that they separate for a while. She knew John needed time. He must decide for himself who he is and where he is.


Again parties, new friends and girlfriends. And new songs. Lennon's compositions were again at the top of the charts. However, was he happy? John is mad with longing for Yoko. He was catastrophically, painfully missing her. They met a year and a half later. And they didn't part again.

October 8, 1975, on the day of John's 35th birthday, Yoko gave birth to his son. Lennon found peace: "I am free as never before and ready for new creativity." They lived in unison - until that fatal shot of a crazy fan in December 1980. “Why doesn’t anyone believe that we just love each other?” Lennon laughed. “We just loved each other,” Yoko says the same thing now in rare interviews. Everything else is pop history.

Henry Ford and Clara Jane Bryant

The story of a great inventor and his great wife

In the late 1990s, a young mechanic worked for an electric company in Detroit for $11 a week. He worked 10 hours a day, and when he got home, he often worked half the night in his barn, trying to invent a new type of engine. His father believed that the guy was wasting time, the neighbors called him crazy, no one believed that anything good would come of these activities. Nobody but his wife. She helped him work at night, holding a kerosene lamp over his head for several hours. Her hands turned blue, her teeth chattered from the cold, she caught a cold every now and then, but ... She believed in her husband so much!

Years later, a noise came from the barn. Neighbors saw how a madman and his wife rode along the road without a horse, in the same cart. The eccentric's name was Henry Ford. By the age of fifty, Ford became a multimillionaire, and his car became one of the national symbols of America. When, while recording an interview with Henry Ford, a journalist asked who Ford would like to be in another life, the genius replied simply: “Anyone. If only my wife was next to me.

Alexander Pushkin and Natalia Goncharova

Deadly love of a poet

One of the first beauties of Moscow met Alexander Pushkin at the ball. The poet was so struck by the beauty and spirituality of a sixteen-year-old girl that he literally “fell ill with love” and soon asked for her hand. He was refused, because Pushkin was twice as old as Natalya - he was 30. He tried his luck a year later and this time he received consent.

For the six years that the couple lived together, Natalya Nikolaevna gave birth to her husband four children. But the young woman missed social entertainment and the success she enjoyed as a young and free girl. It is said that at every opportunity she flirted with men, considering this an entirely innocent occupation. Pushkin received a remark about the behavior of his wife even from Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich.


The French officer Dantes courted Natalya deliberately in public, so that everyone (and especially Pushkin) could see his undisguised passion and lust. There was nothing vicious between them, and it seemed to her that everything that was happening was completely innocent. The last straw was the libel, in which the jealous husband was awarded a "cuckold diploma". Natalya was indeed naive, believing that the hot descendant of an Ethiopian could survive such humiliation.

Pushkin challenged Dantes to a duel, where he was mortally wounded. And yet he did not blame his wife and before his death he told her: “You are not to blame for anything!”. And Natalya Goncharova did everything as the dying Pushkin told her: he asked her to leave the city, wear mourning for two years, and after ... after marry a decent person. The poet loved his wife so much that even being on his deathbed, he could not help thinking about her happiness.

Cleopatra and Caesar

The bloody love of the pharaoh and the emperor

Men went crazy over her, for the night spent in her arms, they were ready to give their lives and went for it voluntarily. The great Roman commanders also paid with their lives: Caesar and Mark Antony. Cleopatra was not a beauty, but she had incredible charm and charisma, she was seductive, insidious and very smart. This first female politician in history received an excellent education, studied mathematics, philosophy, literature, skillfully played musical instruments and knew 8 languages.


She made Caesar fall in love with herself by cunning: dressed in the most beautiful outfits, she ordered the servants to wrap her in a carpet and bring her as a gift to Caesar. Knowing the intricacies of all the love pleasures of the Ancient World that existed at that time, Cleopatra struck the spoiled emperor with ingenuity and a subtle sense of humor. Her movements and voice literally bewitched Caesar. Julius, that very night he became her lover. Thus, Cleopatra paid a huge national debt, received the Egyptian throne and the love of the great commander. But the Romans could not forgive him for a love relationship with an Egyptian, and as a result of an insidious conspiracy, Caesar was killed.

Cleopatra was able to fall in love with herself and another commander who fought for the "Roman throne" - Mark Antony. It was a crazy passion, sweeping away everything in its path, but even here the lovers were in for a failure. Rome went to war with Alexandria, Antony and Cleopatra lost. The Roman commander thought that his beloved had died, and, unable to bear it, threw himself on the sword. And Cleopatra, in order to avoid captivity and shame, ordered a poisonous snake to be brought to her.

Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine

The love story of a great commander and a beautiful Creole

They met when Napoleon was still poor, plain and unknown to anyone, and Josephine already had the status of a widow, often changed lovers, and besides, she was 6 years older than her future husband. But as if an unknown force attracted them to each other. After spending an evening with a beautiful Creole, Bonaparte was fascinated by her for the rest of his life. They became lovers, and then spouses, changing their age on paper.

On their wedding day in March 1796, Bonaparte presented his beloved with a sapphire ring. Inside the ring was an engraving: "This is fate." And soon fate made Josephine the empress, and Bonaparte the emperor. The great commander, confidently captured the whole world, winning one victory after another, and from each campaign he sent tender and passionate letters to his beloved wife, full of revelations and confessions.


But time passed, Napoleon dreamed of heirs, and Josephine could not get pregnant. In addition, rumors about the betrayals of the temperamental Creole, who remained alone for a long time, were confirmed. And then Bonaparte decides to enter into a new marriage with Princess Marie-Louise of Austria in order to preserve the dynasty and prolong her family. Josephine and Napoleon divorced in 1809. Josephine retains the title of empress at the urging of Bonaparte. And also receives the Elysee Palace, Navarre Castle, Malmaison, three million a year, coats of arms, escort, security and all the attributes of a reigning person.

But even after the divorce, the emperor continues to write tender letters to Josephine, full of love and warmth. New marriage, the appearance of the long-awaited son does not bring happiness to Bonaparte. After the defeat at Waterloo, the emperor goes into exile on the island of St. Helena. Josephine is denied his escort, and a couple of months after Napoleon's abdication of power, she dies. And in 1821, the great commander of all times and peoples Napoleon Bonaparte dies with the name of his beloved Josephine on his lips.

Edith Piaf and Marcel Cerdan

Paris sparrow and Moroccan scorer

This love story began in Paris. Edith Piaf was introduced to the "Moroccan scorer" and Marcel Cerdana was introduced to the "great Edith Piaf". A few days later, Marcel called the singer and asked for a meeting. The next morning they realized that they were in love. Next to a tall and muscular athlete " paris sparrow» Edith Piaf (piaf - sparrow from French), only 147 cm tall, looked like a little girl. At night, they often went for a walk around New York. Both loved to ride roller coasters. This extraordinary couple was recognized on the streets, with amazement watching them eat ice cream and squeal on the rides like mere mortals.


Love affair French singer and the French boxing champion did not go unnoticed. The journalists wanted to stir up a huge scandal, but the boxer was the first to hold a press conference: “Do you want to know if I love Piaf? Yes I love! Yes, she is my mistress, only because I am married. And I can’t get a divorce!” he blurted out. In the morning, not a single newspaper wrote a single line about Edith and Marseille, and by lunchtime Edith Piaf brought a huge basket of flowers from journalists. A card was enclosed in the flowers: "From the gentlemen to the woman who is loved more than anything in the world."

On October 28, 1949, Serdan dropped everything and flew to New York, having received a telegram from his beloved: "I miss you." His plane crashed near the Azores. In the morning, Edith was awakened not by the long-awaited kiss of Marcel, but by terrible news. That evening, Edith Piaf was carried to the stage of the Versailles hall in her arms - she could not walk. Stopping the applause from the audience, she said softly, “You don't have to clap for me today. Today I sing for Marcel Cerdan. For him alone."

Editor's note: All stories are partly based on legend and do not claim to be historically accurate.

Life of the Stars

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07.01.15 12:00

By the time of the death of Hugh Ledger, his beautiful romance with Michelle Williams was over, but still the actress was very worried about the death of her ex-boyfriend. She left a daughter, Matilda, strikingly similar to her father. Some Hollywood love stories are as tragic as the plots of well-known melodramas. Get to know them - and then, maybe, you will become more careful about your chosen ones.

Two Natashas

The star of the films "Solaris" and "The Truman Show" Natasha McElhone was married to Dr. Martin Kelly. They raised two sons and were expecting a third when their relationship ended tragically in 2008. Once the actress returned home from filming and found an insensitive husband. He was taken to the hospital, but Martin did not survive. The cause of death was cardiomyopathy. Their third son, Rex, was born almost six months after his father's death. To cope with depression, Natasha began to write letters to her late husband - later they saw the light in the book.

The next dramatic story is also connected with an actress named Natasha. The daughter of the famous British star, the beautiful Natasha Richardson, married Irish boyfriend Liam Neeson in 1994 after joint performance in a Broadway production. In 2009, Richardson and one of their sons spent their winter holidays in Quebec. There, skiing, the actress received a head injury. It seemed to her that nothing terrible had happened, and she refused medical help. But blunt head injuries can be very insidious. And when Richardson was taken to the hospital a couple of days later, the brain had already died. If time had not been lost, she could have survived. On March 18, Natasha was disconnected from the apparatus. She was 45 years old. Even years later, the actor admits that when the door opens, he expects to hear the voice of his beloved.

cancer killer

James Bond and ex-Bond girl found love and happiness in real world when Pierce Brosnan and Cassandra Harris (who starred in one of the Bond films, For Your Eyes Only) got married in 1980. The actor adopted two children of his wife, then they had a son. Harris was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Brosnan was by her side as she battled her illness: 8 surgeries, chemotherapy. But nothing helped, and in 1991 the woman died. Pierce stated that even after her death, he would sit in the garden that Cassandra loved so much and talk to her. Later, the same disease claimed daughter Harris.

The love of Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi lasted 34 years (they met when the girl was only 16 years old). A real Hollywood record! The actor died of pancreatic cancer in 2009. Lisa for a long time did not agree to marriage with Albert DePrisco, who asked for her hand. But one day Patrick dreamed of her, and the woman decided that he blesses his beloved and asks her to move on in life. And Lisa married Albert.

At the hands of maniacs

When the Liverpool Four broke up, many accused Yoko Ono - they say, the Beatles split began with her. In fact, the quartet was full of problems even before Lennon's marriage. Their relationship was not easy, but undoubtedly, these two loved each other. Only love ended in tragedy: Mark Chapman shot the idol of millions in December 1980, and John Lennon left Yoko and their son Sean.

Two weeks before the birth of the child, the wife of Roman Polanski was brutally murdered - five of the 16 wounds she received were fatal. The beautiful actress was "at the wrong time in the wrong place" - her house was attacked by the followers of the psychopath Charles Manson. Four of her friends died with Tate. Roman was away at the time and survived.

Irreparable loss

Rock legend Mick Jagger and fashion designer Lauren Scott seemed like a strange couple: the difference in age (21 years) and height (15 cm). But they've been together everywhere since they met in 2001. And wherever they appeared, the eyes of those present were riveted to these two. It is still unclear what caused the 49-year-old Lauren to commit suicide - probably financial problems in her design business. Scott hanged herself from a doorknob in her apartment in February of this year.

For comedian John Ritter and actress Amy Yasbeck, September was a very busy month: the birthdays of both spouses, their daughter Stella, their wedding anniversary. But September 11, 2003 was overshadowed by the death of John. On Stella's 5th birthday, her dad died on the operating table from an aneurysm. Amy was very worried, since then she has been a rare guest in the cinema.

fatal disaster

Beautiful love was among the stars of the "golden time" of Hollywood blonde Carole Lombard and the star of "Gone with the Wind", handsome Clark Gable. Carol was only 33 years old when she died in a plane crash: a twin-engine plane literally crashed into a mountain. Gable was barely kept from climbing to the top - he rushed there in the hope of saving his wife. When her body was discovered, he sobbed and said he did not want to return to an empty house.

Gable was looking for death for a long time, but then he tried to start all over again, marrying several more times. But after his death, he found his last resting place next to Lombard.

When one couldn't survive without the other

It is still not entirely clear what caused the death of the young star Brittany Murphy and her husband Simon Monjack, who survived his wife by only five months. Versions were different. The most plausible - Brittany did not survive the effects of pneumonia, anemia and treatment with strong drugs, her heart failed. A heart attack killed Simon too.

Superman star Christopher Reeve said he fell in love with Dana at first sight. They got married in the spring of 1992, it seemed that happiness was not in danger. But in May 1995, the actor fell off his horse, injured two cervical vertebrae. The doctors saved him, but Reeve remained forever paralyzed. His life was supported by a complex apparatus, but he did not leave active work, by his example instilling hope in the same invalids. Dana has always been there. 9 years after the tragedy, Christopher fell into a coma (it was a reaction to an antibiotic) and died a few hours later. His wife did not long survive him. She died in March 2006: lung cancer destroyed Dana in six months.

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