Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz met on the set of the “Too Many Girls” film adaptation. Ball was the star of the show, and Arnaz instantly fell in love with her.
Shortly after meeting, they got married in 1940. However, their busy work schedules and Arnaz’s enlistment in the army during World War II kept them apart for most of their marriage.
Despite their busy lives, Ball was determined to expand their family. As such, her mother-in-law insisted she converted to Catholicism, and she did. Tragically, they went through two miscarriages before Ball finally gave birth to their daughter, Lucie Arnaz. They welcomed another child, son Desi Jr., two years later.
Ball considered giving birth to her children as miraculous. She insinuated that her faith played a big role in allowing her to cope with her miscarriages and, later on, falling pregnant again.
The two stars went on to work on “I Love Lucy” together and ventured into owning a TV production company called Desilu Studios. Throughout this time, Arnaz’s increasingly notorious reputation caught up with him.
Ball had a difficult time shielding her children from her husband’s destructive ways. She claimed he did nothing in moderation, be it alcohol, broads, or gambling. He was known to be an alcoholic and a womanizer.
Having had enough, Ball divorced the actor in 1960, just a month before filming their final scenes of “I Love Lucy.”
Ball couldn’t handle the way her children asked her questions about their father, and she had to lie to protect his image. “He never honored our marriage,” she said. “It took me a long time to realize it was a lost cause.”..CONTINUE READING