34 Scandalous 20th Century Celebrity Cheating Stories

Kristen HarrisMon, August 24, 2026 at 12:31 AM UTC

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Celebrity drama these days is surprisingly tame compared to what the stars of yesteryear got up to! From decades-long secret relationships to cheating that got condemned in Congress, the 20th century was filled with incredibly scandalous Hollywood affairs.Here are 34 wild celebrity affairs from the '40s to the '90s:1940s1. Marlene Dietrich was married to Rudolf Sieber for 53 years, but at some point in her career, her affair with John Wayne was reportedly "the worst-kept secret in Hollywood." The actors costarred in three movies — Seven Sinners (1940), The Spoilers (1942), and Pittsburgh (1942). During this time, John was married to his first wife, Josephine Sáenz (whom he divorced in 1945).

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty ImagesIn the book John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, director Henry Hathaway recalled, "They would appear in public together at Hollywood nightspots, and she even went with him to football games and prizefights. And she took a great interest in his career and later took much of the credit for making him the star he became."

Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty ImagesThe way their affair came to light was actually pretty wild! The FBI was covertly monitoring Marlene because they suspected she might be a Nazi sympathizer (though the German-born actor actually refused to star in Nazi propaganda films, and she became an American citizen). While the FBI didn't find what they were looking for, they uncovered her affair.

United Archives / FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images2. Spencer Tracymarried Louise Treadwell in 1923, and the couple later separated but didn't divorce because of his Catholic faith. However, he began a relationship with costar Katharine Hepburn, who "knew right away that [she] found him irresistible," while filming 1942's Woman of the Year. The couple went on to costar in eight more movies together during their nearly 30-year affair.

Archive Photos / Getty ImagesKatharine and Spencer went to great lengths to hide their relationship. They lived separately and rarely went out in public together. She described him as "tortured," as he dealt with mental health issues and alcoholism. In the late '60s, his health declined, so she stepped back from acting to be his caretaker. She reportedly said, "I liked to wait on him, listen to him, feed him, work for him. I tried not to disturb him… I was happy to do this."

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via GettySpencer allegedly once drunkenly hit her but didn't remember it the next day. Though Katharine was with Spencer when he died, she didn't go to his funeral because she felt it would be disrespectful to Louise and their children, and she didn't even talk about the relationship publicly until Louise's death in 1983.

Silver Screen Collection / Getty Images3. While filming the 1947 movie Singapore, Ava Gardner reportedly had an affair with her costar Fred MacMurray, who was married to Lillian Lamont. She balked at the double standard that permitted men to have multiple partners, but not women, so she was open-minded toward extramarital affairs.

Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty ImagesHowever, when Ava discovered Lillian was sick, she ended things with Fred. In the book Ava, a Life in Movies, Rene Jordan, Ava's housekeeper, said, "She didn't object to secret adultery, but when a guy was two-timing a sick wife, she objected to that — strongly."

De Carvalho Collection / Getty Images4. Then, in 1949, Ava Gardner reportedly had an affair with someone even more famous — Frank Sinatra, who was still married to his first wife, Nancy Barbato. Frank and Ava met at a party in Palm Springs. Both drunk, they decided to leave and drive to Indio. They made out, then Frank pulled out a pair of guns. He shot out street lamps, and she shot a hardware store window. Police caught them and hauled them down to the station, but the studio paid them off.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via GettyIn 1951, the couple reportedly tied the knot a mere 72 hours after his divorce from Nancy was finalized. However, Frank and Ava ultimately divorced in 1957, though they stayed friends until she died in 1990.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via Getty

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5. In 1948, Prince Aly Khan, the son of Aga Khan III (the imam of Ismaili Muslims), was determined to meet Rita Hayworth after watching Gilda. So, gossip columnist Elsa Maxwell arranged for them to meet at one of her famous parties. At the time, Aly was married to Joan Yarde-Buller, and Rita was being courted by two other men — the Shah of Iran and business magnate Aristotle Onassis. Aly spent the entire party at Rita's side, and she went back to his villa, Château de l'Horizon, with him afterward.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via GettyThe next day, Aly had to leave for Ireland. While Rita awaited his return to France, a fortune-teller visited and told her she was "about to embark on the greatest romance of her life" with "someone she already knew," and that she "must relent and give in to him totally" in order to "find happiness at long last." Convinced, the actor stayed with Aly until she had to go back to California for work. On a trip to Spain, he proposed, but she said no and returned to Hollywood. However, he followed her and purchased the house across the street from hers, so their affair continued. Aly's father pressured him to end the relationship, but after meeting Rita (who was pregnant at the time) in person, he gave his approval. So, Aly divorced Joan, and he and Rita tied the knot in 1949.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via GettyHowever, marriage didn't stop Aly from cheating, gambling, and burning through so much money that his dad sent the couple on a three-month trip to visit the African Ismaili communities to give them a better understanding of their position. On the trip, Rita and Aly fought often, and he kept cheating. Eventually, she left, packed up her things in France, and took her children back to the US. Then, she sought a divorce, which was granted in 1953.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via Getty6. In 1948, Ingrid Bergman, who was married to neurosurgeon Petter Lindström, began an affair with director Roberto Rossellini on the set of Stromboli. Ingrid became pregnant, and she gave birth to their son (also named Roberto) a few short days before her divorce was finalized.

Keystone-France / Gamma-Keystone via Getty ImagesThe affair caused such a scandal that Congress got involved. Criticizing the studio for using the affair to promote the film, Senator Edwin C. Johnson called Ingrid "one of the most powerful women on earth — I regret to say a powerful influence for evil." He also pushed for a licensing requirement for actors and filmmakers, with the caveat that licenses could be revoked for perceived "immoral" behavior. Of course, his proposal never made it out of the gate.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via GettyIngrid had already moved out of the US, but the backlash she faced spurred her to stay away for nine years. She and Roberto were married from 1950 to 1957. In 1972, Senator Charles H. Percy entered an apology to her into the Congressional Record, calling her "one of the world's loveliest, most gracious, and most talented women [who was] the victim of bitter attack in this chamber 22 years ago." She'd "never forgotten" Senator Johnson's tirade, and the apology came as a "complete surprise."

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via Getty1950s7. The scandal of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini's affair tanked her 1948 movie Joan of Arc, driving the final nail into producer Walter Wanger's financial coffin. Over the next few years, he declared bankruptcy, leaving his wife, actor Joan Bennett, as the main breadwinner. However, in 1951, he became suspicious that she was cheating on him with her agent, Jennings Lang.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via GettyLike many a scorned spouse, Walter hired a private investigator to tail Joan and Jennings. When the PI discovered the alleged couple was spending time together in Beverly Hills, New Orleans, and the Caribbean, Walter decided to take matters into his own hands. He found Joan's green Cadillac parked outside Jennings's agency then drove around, waiting and armed. In Walter Wanger: Hollywood Independent, author Matthew Bernstein wrote, "There was a violent argument between the two men, with Bennett yelling, 'Get away from here and leave us alone.' Wanger, she said, was 'standing there like a man hypnotized.' Though Lang held up his hands, Wanger was implacable; he fired two shots in Lang's general direction. One went astray against the car; the other struck Lang in the groin, and he collapsed in agony to the ground."

Keystone / Getty ImagesWalter was arrested on the spot, but he hired a powerful attorney, pleaded temporary insanity, and got off with only a four-month prison sentence. He went on to revitalize his career with films like Riot in Cell Block 11 and, most famously, Cleopatra. Unfortunately, the incident had greater consequences for Joan's career, which never quite bounced back. What's more, Joan claimed there was no affair to begin with, insisting they had been meeting for business reasons. She and Jennings had been meeting to talk about a new show. She told the LA Times, "But if Walter thinks the relationships between Mr. Lang and myself are romantic or anything but strictly business, he is wrong."

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via Getty8. When Sidney Poitier and Diahann Carroll first met on the set of Porgy and Bess, he was married to Juanita Hardy, and she was married to Monte Kay. However, that didn't stop the costars from falling for each other. Sidney told People, "We had not been on the set of Porgy and Bess in 1959 more than a few days when I realized that she was unique. She had fantastic cheekbones, perfect teeth, and dark, mysterious eyes. She was confident, inviting, sensuous — and she moved with a rhythm that absolutely tantalized me. I invited her to dinner, telling her that since we were both married, we would talk about our absent loved ones. And we did. I acted very, very gentlemanly for weeks, but halfway through the picture, we fell in love. As I got to know her, I realized she was one of the brightest women I had ever known."

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty ImagesIn her memoir, The Legs Are the Last To Go, Diahann alleged that Sidney convinced her to leave Monte, vowing to end his own marriage so that he and Diahann could be together in public. So, she ended her marriage (though they didn't officially divorce until 1963), packed her bags, and moved to NYC, where Sidney had purchased an apartment for her and her daughter. However, while Diahann willingly uprooted her life for him, Sidney still had reservations. She wrote, "I was only home a few days when he called to say his wife was having second thoughts. Our wedding plans would have to be postponed. When the apartment was ready, and I was about to move my daughter in with me, Sidney told me he didn't want her there."

United Archives / FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty ImagesShe continued, "He changed the locks so I couldn't get in. Then he made me write him a check to offset his purchase and decorating costs. I did as I was told, submissive and desperate."

United Archives / FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Sidney told Juanita about Diahann right away, but they didn't divorce until 1965. He told People, "To a large degree, I felt trapped by my four daughters. They were young, and I loved them. And my father had thoroughly indoctrinated me when I was young that, as a law of life, a parent should take care of his children, even if it means not putting food in his own mouth... I think there was a time when [the kids] were as mad as hell at me because of the threat to their own security. Although I never severed links with them, I was a villain of sorts in their eyes. The relationship is now very healthy and free-flowing, but getting it there tested our strength and perseverance."

United Artists courtesy Everett CollectionDiahann and Sidney never made it down the aisle, and their relationship ultimately ended in 1968. He said, "She asked me to move out of my home, and I did. She asked me to get a divorce. I went to Mexico and got one. I made one request: to live together for six months while Diahann's parents looked after her daughter, so I wouldn't be jumping from one marriage straight into another. But she wouldn't do it. It was then that our relationship started to unravel."

Kevin Winter / Getty Images9. Paul Newman married his first wife, Jackie Witte, in 1949, but in 1953, he began a passionate affair with Joanne Woodward, his fellow understudy on a Broadway production of Picnic. In his posthumous memoir, The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, he wrote, "Joanne gave birth to a sexual creature. We left a trail of lust all over the place. Hotels and public parks and Hertz Rent-A-Cars... I went from being not much of a sexual threat to something else entirely." He also described the affair as "brutal in [his] detachment from [his] family."

Darlene Hammond / Getty ImagesIn 1958, Paul officially divorced Jackie and married Joanne. One night, his new wife gave their bedroom a mini makeover with fresh paint and a "thriftshop double bed." He wrote, "'I call it the Fuck Hut,' she said proudly. It had been done with such affection and delight. Even if my kids came over, we'd go into the Fuck Hut several nights a week and just be intimate and noisy and ribald."

Images Press / Getty Images10. Elia Kazan reportedly admitted to having an affair with Marilyn Monroe while he was married to his first wife, Molly Day Thacher. In a 1955 letter to Molly (published in The Selected Letters of Elia Kazan), he wrote, "The reason I can't write you about what I'm ashamed of is because I'm ashamed of it. I'm ashamed I hurt you ever. On the other hand I resent being made to feel guilty and low and less... Her boy friend, or 'keeper' (if you want to be mean) had just died. His family had not allowed her to see the body, or allowed her into the house, where she had been living. She had sneaked in one night and been thrown out. I met her on Harmon Jones' set. Harmon thought her a ridiculous person and was fashionably scornful of her. I found her, when I was introduced, in tears."

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via GettyHe continued, "I took her to dinner because she seemed like such a touching pathetic waif. She sobbed all thru dinner. I wasn't 'interested in her;' that came later. I got to know her in time and introduced her to Arthur Miller, who also was very taken by her. You couldn't help being touched. She was talented, funny, vulnerable, helpless in awful pain, with no hope, and some worth and not a liar, not vicious, not catty, and with a history of orphanism that was killing to hear. She was like all Charlie Chaplin's heroines in one."

Pictorial Parade / Getty Images"I'm not ashamed at all, not a damn bit, of having been attracted to her. She is nothing like what she appears to be now, or even appears to have turned into now. She was a little stray cat when I knew her. I got a lot out of her just as you do from any human experience where anyone is revealed to you and you affect anyone in any way. I guess I gave her a lot of hope. She is not a big sex pot as advertised. At least not in my experience. I don't know if there are such as 'advertised' big sex pots. She told me a lot about [Joe DiMaggio] and her, his Catholicism, and his viciousness (he struck her often, and beat her up several times). I was touched and fascinated. It was the type of experience that I do not understand and I enjoyed (not the right word) hearing about it," he wrote.

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty ImagesHe continued, "I'm not sorry about it. I love you and only want to help you. I'm awful sorry I hurt you. I am human though. It might happen again. I hope not, and I have resisted quite some other opportunities. No loss. I got a lot out of this one; can't say I didn't. I think I helped her." Elia went on to write that he'd understand if Molly wanted a divorce, but he'd get remarried and have more kids. However, they stayed together until her death in 1963. Marilyn went on to marry Arthur Miller, whom Elia had introduced her to.

Louis MONIER / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

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11. Sophia Loren had an emotional affair with costar Cary Grant on the set of The Pride and the Passion in 1957. She was in a committed relationship with Carlo Ponti Sr., but he couldn't marry her because Italian law prevented him from divorcing his first wife, Giuliana Fiastri. Cary was married to actor Betsy Drake at the time.

Ernst Haas / Getty ImagesCary frequently took Sophia out to dinner, and he even asked her to marry him. However, she ultimately chose Carlo. She told the Sydney Morning Herald, "They were very different men. It was difficult. I was doing my first American-language film, and my American language was so very terrible; I was upset. Many times I needed help with the language, and Cary would help me. Cary belonged to another world in America. I felt that I would never fit in there. I would never have a future there because of my nationality. I was scared to change completely in life without knowing if this relationship or quasi-relationship was going on. The picture finished. We exchanged numbers, and he said he would call."

Donaldson Collection / Getty ImagesIn 1958, Cary and Sophia costarred in Houseboat. After filming wrapped, he sent her yellow roses. As she and Carlo flew out, she bragged about the flowers because she was "young and thought if he got angry and jealous it meant he loved [her]." In jealous anger, Carlo hit her. She said, "Yes, he did. Very softly. Let's not exaggerate it. But that's what made me feel okay. That made me feel I'd made the right choice."

Silver Screen Collection / Getty ImagesCary and Sophia remained in contact. She said, "In fact, [Cary] did come onto the set of [the 1960 Italian film] Two Women, and then when I was doing a picture in New York, he came to the house. I was together with Carlo and already had my son. One day, he called me in New York, where I was for another film. 'How are you?' 'I'm fine,' I said. 'Why are you calling?' And he said, 'Because I wanted to say ciao.' That was it. He died. He must have known he was dying."

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via Getty12. Elizabeth Taylor and her third husband, Mike Todd, whom she married in 1957, went on frequent double dates with Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. Elizabeth and Debbie had been friends since high school. Mike and Elizabeth had only been married for a year when a plane crash took his life. Shortly after, Elizabeth moved on with Eddie. Per Vogue, Debbie's The Tender Trap costar Frank Sinatra advised her against exchanging vows with Eddie in the first place. She said, "He said, 'Don't marry Eddie.' He said I shouldn't get married to a singer. 'We're not faithful. It's ridiculous for you to take this on.' I said, 'Why? I don't think that I will listen to you — I really think he's adorable.' My mother thought he was adorable."

Evening Standard / Getty ImagesEddie divorced Debbie and married Elizabeth in 1959. He reportedly said, "I divorced Debbie and married Elizabeth the day I finished my run at the Tropicana... It was a typical two-rabbi Jewish ceremony. As usual, Elizabeth was late for her own wedding... We were married under the chuppah, a canopy, and as is traditional, at the end of the ceremony, I stomped on a wineglass."

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via Getty1960s13. Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher didn't find happily-ever-after. She famously had an affair with costar Richard Burton (who was married to Sybil Williams at the time) on the set of 1963's Cleopatra. She reportedly said, "The first day on the set, he was hungover and very vulnerable, and his hands were shaking. He asked me to hold a coffee cup up to his lips, and I was gone."

Silver Screen Collection / Getty ImagesIn the BBC documentary Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar, Elizabeth's son, Christopher Wilding, said, "My mother was still married to Eddie Fisher. I think she was unhappy. It wasn't a normal situation, and at that time, her attitude was, 'Fuck it. I'm going to do it my way, and if you don't like it, too bad.'"

Silver Screen Collection / Getty ImagesThe affair was reportedly "so obvious." Richard and Sybil divorced in 1963, and Elizabeth and Eddie divorced the following year. The new couple were famously married twice — their first marriage lasted from 1964 to 1974, and their second lasted from 1975 to 1976.

API / Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesBut that's not the end of the story! Debbie and Elizabeth actually managed to repair their friendship. Debbie reportedly said, "We got on the same boat to go to Europe — the Queen Elizabeth. I sent a note to her, and she sent a note to me in passing, and then we had dinner together. She was married to Richard Burton by then. I had been remarried at that point. And we just said, 'Let's call it a day.' And we got smashed. And we had a great evening and stayed friends since then." In 2001, they costarred in These Old Broads.

Ron Tom / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images14. Marianne Faithfull was just 18 when she married artist John Dunbar, who was around 21 or 22, in 1965. The couple welcomed their son during their first (and only!) year of marriage, but not long after the birth, Marianne started dating Mick Jagger (who was the same age as John). She told CBS News, "I was a very undisciplined, temperamental little girl."

Central Press / Getty ImagesMick and Marianne became the new "It" couple. She divorced John in 1966 and went on to become the Rolling Stones' early muse, reportedly inspiring hits like "Wild Horses" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want." The couple was at the center of another scandalous story — in 1967, they were partying at the home of Keith Richards, Mick's bandmate, when the cops came knocking. Marianne was naked except for a fur rug. The officers found drugs with the men, though their charges were eventually dropped.

Keystone-France / Gamma-Keystone via Getty ImagesMarianne struggled with drug addiction during the relationship. She became pregnant with a daughter, but she miscarried at eight months. Then, she took 150 sleeping pills and ended up in a coma for six days. She lost custody of the son she shared with her ex-husband, and she and Mick broke up in 1970. She later told People, "He wasn't the great love of my life. We were just two kids living on too many different levels."

The Sydney Morning Herald / Fairfax Media via Getty Images1970s15. John Lennon married Yoko Ono in 1969, but in 1973, he started an 18-month affair with May Pang, their personal secretary...at the suggestion of Yoko. May told People that Yoko asked her to fill in as John's girlfriend while the spouses took time away from each other. She said, "I refused. I respected their marriage. I said, 'That's not what I want to do.' I was very happy as a worker." However, the musician "charmed the pants off" May, and they struck up a relationship. They even started living together in 1974.

Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesShe said, "He was just an interesting person. He really loved everything and wanted to explore. He loved to get up, have his coffee in the morning. He loved blueberry pancakes; he loved swimming. He was just an awesome person who wanted to discover things... George [Harrison] once said, 'I'm so happy you're with John,' and that was a nice thing of him to say to me." However, Yoko still checked in on them, even calling up to 15 times in a single day. In 1974, she and John agreed to get a divorce, but they reconciled the following year.

Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

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May "knew" her relationship with John was over when he accepted Yoko's offer to introduce him to a hypnotist who'd help him stop smoking. She said, "You just know. He was not the same when I saw him [again]." However, their relationship was never really over, and she claimed that they continued to see each other on the down low until his death five years later. She continued, "He'd secretly come over to see me. He would say, 'You know, I still love you.' He said things to me that were really very intimate, and you could sense there was something still. It was gnawing at him. It was not a finished situation."

Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images16. While filming Star Wars, Carrie Fisher allegedly had a three-month affair with costar Harrison Ford. At the time, she was 19, and he was 34 and married. In her memoir, ThePrincess Diarist, she wrote, "I began filming Star Wars hoping to have an affair. Hoping to strike people as sophisticated and louche... When I was contemplating having an affair on this movie, I wasn't going to include married guys. One of the things I knew when I met Harrison Ford was that nothing of a romantic nature would happen. He was also far too old for me – almost 15 years older!"

Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty ImagesShe said that their romance began after George Lucas's birthday party when Harrison helped her get back to London safely. Allegedly, they "had rolled around in the back seat" and done "some unexpected exploratory kissing." They went to dinner with friends, then she went home with him that night. She wrote, "It's difficult to recall details from that weekend. Even if I could, what are we talking about here, soft porn for hardened sci-fi fans? All I can remember, after he followed me in and turned on the hallway light, was that I meant to show him around my little flat, only now our fumbling was not in a moving vehicle, driven by a knowing spectator. A tiny part of me felt like I’d won the man lottery and here I was both counting and spending the money. I looked over at Harrison. He was… God, he was just so handsome. No, more than that."

New York Daily News Archive / NY Daily News via Getty ImagesThey kept their relationship a secret, so she only wrote about him in her journal. She said, "There are some things I still consider private. Amazing, isn't it? But sex is private. So I put the kibosh on sharing what occurred between Mr. Ford and me on that fateful Friday night in May 1976, and on subsequent Fridays at ungodly hours."

Kevin Winter / Getty Images17. In 1970, Mick Jagger and Bianca Pérez-Mora Macías met after a Rolling Stones concert, and then they tied the knot the following year. They became one of the most high-profile couples of the '70s, but everything was not what it seemed. In 1978, Bianca divorced Mick after discovering his affair with Jerry Hall, who was engaged at the time. Jerry called off her engagement, and she and Mick became the new it couple.

Art Zelin / Getty ImagesIn the early '80s, Jerry and Mick broke up, but they quickly got back together.

Wally McNamee / Corbis via Getty Images18. Klute costars Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland were both married to other people when their three-year affair began. He told Rolling Stone, "We'd already been cast but had not started shooting. And one day, she made it very clear, via a somewhat provocative suggestion, that I should come home with her. And I just said, [pause] 'Ok.'" Jane was passionate about Free the Army, an anti-Vietnam War show performed for GIs in opposition to the USO tour, and Donald became involved in the FTA through her.

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty ImagesDonald divorced his wife in 1970, a year before Klute premiered. Jane and her husband separated in 1972. Donald and Jane's relationship lasted until 1973. He told the Guardian, "We were together until the relationship exploded and fell apart in Tokyo. And it broke my heart. I was eviscerated. I was so sad. It was a wonderful relationship right up to the point we lived together."

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images19. Liza Minnelli and Martin Scorsese allegedly had an affair of "passionate romance" with "more layers than a lasagna." They worked together on the set of 1977's New York, New York. At the time, they were both married to other people. In her memoir Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!, she wrote, "We were both Italian. Passionate. Intense. Committed to our craft. We both had volcanic tempers. Our work drew us together, in closer quarters, day after day. He was a diabolically handsome man who shared my love for film. I was a director's daughter who respected Marty's role and authority. Even though I now realize I didn't understand him."

Images Press / Getty ImagesTheir movie flopped. Liza hired Marty to direct The Act on Broadway, but she ended up firing him. She wrote, "He was in over his head. Our out-of-town reviews were scathing. I did what had to be done. It damn near killed me and broke my heart. I lovingly told Marty that we needed to make a change. He was exhausted, and a steady diet of hostility and substances certainly wasn't helping matters. As it turned out, his life was in jeopardy, and he is now able to admit that he ended up in the hospital, cheating death."

Sonia Moskowitz / Penske Media via Getty Images20. Liza Minnelli also revealed a second alleged affair she was having during her purported relationship with the Goodfellas director. She claimed that she was also cheating with choreographer/actor Mikhail Baryshnikov and that Marty publicly berated her in front of her husband over it. She wrote, "There we all were on the street: me, my husband, and Marty. 'How can you do this to me? How can you do this to me?' Marty screamed. Jack and I quickly walked away, trying to laugh it off. It would be impossible to forget. Marty was incensed. I'd been outed. Mikhail got caught up in a messy situation. And Jack now had a good reason for us to part."

Walt Disney Television Photo Arc / ABC21. John Lithgow was married to Jean Taynton from 1966 to 1980, but in his memoir, Drama: An Actor's Education, he admitted to having affairs with eight different theater costars throughout the '70s. He compared himself to a "rampaging elephant."

Tim Boxer / Getty ImagesIn particular, he name-dropped Liv Ullmann. He told the Minnesota Star Tribune, "It was one of the most important crises in my life at a time when I was having some of my greatest successes. I didn't seek her permission, but I sent her a copy before it went to print and would have pulled that part out if she had asked, but she was very complimentary."

Mike Coppola / Getty Images1980s22. Tom Hanks was married to Samantha Lewes, whom he'd been with since college, when he met Rita Wilson on the set of Bosom Buddies in 1981. However, she was just a one-off guest star, and their paths didn't cross again until they costarred in Volunteers four years later. While playing love interests, Tom and Rita fell in love behind the scenes.

Aaron Rapoport / Corbis via Getty ImagesHe told Esquire, "We're deep in the jungles of Mexico... It was a magical setting to fall in love and very reflective of our love ever since. Every night, we'd take over the coffee shop. It was a beautiful thing to fall in love around John Candy. Life is always a party — more papas fritas! So much fun, so ideal. Rita and I looked at each other and — ka-boing — that was that. Well, yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, I did happen to be married at the time. And there's nothing to celebrate about that. But the reality is, it was a young marriage and a difficult marriage. I had two kids, great kids [Colin and Elizabeth]. And I wasn't so naive not to think that there were going to be repercussions. But I knew what was and was not. I asked Rita if it was the real thing for her, and it just couldn't be denied."

Hulton Archive / Getty Images"My first marriage was a very tough thing all the way around. The good news is the fact that two fabulous kids came out of it," he said. Tom and Rita made their red carpet debut in 1986, and his divorce was finalized a year later. The new couple tied the knot in 1988, and they went on to have two sons, Chet and Truman.

Bruce Glikas / Bruce Glikas/WireImage / Via Getty23. In 1981, Rob Lowe and Melissa Gilbert started dating as 17-year-olds, and they were together for over six years. However, over the course of their relationship, he cheated on her several times, most notably with his The Hotel New Hampshire costar Nastassja Kinski.

©Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett CollectionIn her 2009 memoir Prairie Tale, Melissa recalled, "I began to sense something missing between us. All signs pointed to one reason, and I started to freak out about Nastassja. In person, she was gorgeous. I could only imagine her effect on Rob." Rob and Nastassja were filming in Montreal, and Melissa tried to call his hotel from LA. She wrote, "Frustrated, I asked [the operator] to ring his room again. Instead of saying, 'Of course,' she paused. She must have thought long and hard about what to do, because a moment later she sighed and said, 'Miss Gilbert, shall I ring Miss Kinski's room?'"

Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesSo, Melissa hopped a flight to Canada, where she caught Rob with Nastassja and watched "the blood drain from his face." He allegedly asked, "The hotel operator sold me out? Why the hell would she do that?" And Melissa replied, "You don't fuck with America's sweetheart!" However, the couple reconciled, and they stayed together on and off for about three more years. Melissa secretly cheated on him with John Cusack as a form of revenge. She wrote, "We ended up having a little fling, which I kept from Rob. It was my own private 'screw you.' Only John and I ever knew about it. He was very sweet and funny. Funny was a problem for me. Rob's sense of humor kept me going back to him as much as our physical attraction did."

©Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett Collection24. In 1970 — decades before they became King Charles III and Queen Camilla — Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles reportedly first met at a polo match. He experienced love at first sight when she asked, "My great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-grandfather, so how about it?" They dated, but the relationship didn't last as outside forces pulled them apart. In 1973, she married Andrew Parker Bowles, and in 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer. However, days before her royal wedding, Diana found a special present that Charles had commissioned for Camilla — a gold bracelet that had a charm bearing the initials F and G. The letters stood for Charles and Camilla's pet names, Fred and Gladys.

Hulton Deutsch / Corbis via Getty ImagesIn 1986, Charles and Camilla reportedly rekindled their romance in the form of an affair. Three years later, Diana confronted Camilla about it at a birthday party. She told journalist Andrew Morton, "I said, 'I know what's going on between you and Charles, and I just want you to know that.' She said to me, 'You've got everything you ever wanted. All the men in the world fall in love with you, and you've got two beautiful children, what more do you want?' So I said, 'I want my husband.'"

PA Images / PA Images via Getty ImagesIn 1993, shortly after Charles and Diana separated, his affair exploded across the British tabloids in a scandal known as "Tampongate" (or "Camillagate"). The press published the full transcript of a very intimate phone call between Charles and Camilla. He said that he wanted to "live inside [her] trousers" and joked about being reincarnated as her tampon.

Chris Jackson / Getty ImagesCharles admitted to the affair on a TV documentary in 1994. He said that he was "absolutely" faithful and honorable to Diana "until [the marriage] became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried."

Dave Hogan / Getty ImagesCamilla and her husband divorced in 1995, and Charles and Diana's divorce was finalized the following year. Charles and Camilla planned to slowly launch their relationship, but then, in 1997, Diana tragically died, so they decided to hold off. Charles and Camilla were first photographed as a couple in 1999. They got married in 2005. She later told British Vogue, "It's not easy. I was scrutinized for such a long time that you just have to find a way to live with it. Nobody likes to be looked at all the time and, you know, criticized, and… But I think in the end, I sort of rise above it and get on with it. You've got to get on with life."

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25. In her memoir, You Only Get One Life, Brigitte Nielsen wrote about her "outrageous affair" with her Red Sonja costar Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1985. She claimed that, at the time, she didn't know he was dating Maria Shriver, whom he married a year later.

Rolf Konow / Via GettyA year after Brigitte's book came out, Arnold admitted to the affair in his own memoir, Total Recall. He wrote that they had a "hot affair," but he knew it wouldn't last. It made him realize that Maria was the woman he wanted to marry.

Rolf Konow / Via Getty1990s26. Ahead of the release of his memoir, Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed his affair with his family's housekeeper, telling 60 Minutes that he fathered her son, Joseph Baena, who was born in 1997 (Joseph arrived a few days after Christopher, Arnold's fourth child with Maria Shriver). However, Arnold didn't realize that Joseph was his until the boy was around 7 or 8 and started to look like him. The actor denied the truth until Maria confronted him during marriage counseling.

J. Redmond / WireImage / Via GettyIn the book, he wrote, "The minute we sat down, the therapist turned to me and said, 'Maria wanted to come here today and to ask about a child — whether you fathered a child with your housekeeper Mildred.' I told the therapist, 'It's true.'" He admitted to Maria that he "screwed up," and he told her that she was the "perfect wife" and promised he was still "turned on" by her. However, Maria chose to separate from him after 25 years of marriage. Divulging that he kept the affair a secret because he was embarrassed and didn't want to face the Kennedys (Maria's family), he wrote, "Instead of doing the right thing, I'd just put the truth away in a mental compartment and locked it up where I didn't deal with it every day."

Chelsea Lauren / FilmMagic / Via Getty27. Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall got married in Indonesia in 1990, but, as the saying goes, how you get them is how you lose them! From 1991 to 1994, Mick cheated on her with model Carla Bruni. However, he and Jerry stayed together until 1999, when she found out that he was having an affair with Luciana Gimenez — and Luciana was pregnant!

Stefan Rousseau - PA Images / PA Images via Getty ImagesSo, Jerry and Mick prepared to divorce, but there was a major complication — their marriage wasn't actually legally binding! Rather than a divorce, they were granted an annulment. She later told the Guardian, "I don't regret anything, and wouldn't change anything. I've had a wonderful adventure and four beautiful children. Mick and I are great friends. It's quite an achievement to have had the life we had together."

Pool BENAINOUS/REGLAIN / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images28. Remando al Viento costars Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley began dating in 1987. But in 1995, Hugh was arrested for engaging in "lewd contact" with a sex worker named Divine Brown. In a statement, he said, "Last night I did something completely insane. I have hurt people I love and embarrassed people I work with. For both things, I am more sorry than I can ever possibly say." Ultimately, he was fined $1,000 and required to take an AIDS education program. Divine pleaded no contest to "engaging in lewd conduct in a public place," and because she'd violated her probation, she was sentenced to 180 days in prison.

Steve Granitz / WireImage / Via GettyOn The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, he said, "I've done an abominable thing, and she's [Liz] been amazing about it, and contrary to what I read in the paper today, she's been very supportive, and we're going to try to work it out."

Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesLiz ended the relationship in 2000. She told Talk magazine, "I think we've both been unhappy for some time... Ultimately, we realized that there had to be something lacking, because after 13 years together, we still didn't really want to get married and start a family. I'd love to be swept off my feet and to gallop wildly into the sunset."

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis / Corbis Via Getty Images29. Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson were married from 1988 to 1994. They broke up over each other's alleged cheating, but, as if their lives were some kind of soap opera, Burt tried to make Loni take a "truth serum." Appearing on Good Morning America: Evening Edition in 1993, he reportedly admitted to cheating on her, but he added, "I caught her cheating on me. And so I just…I made a decision to call it off."

Images Press / Getty ImagesHe also said he asked Loni to "take a sodium pentothal test" — which has reportedly been used as a "truth serum" — to reveal who was the first to be unfaithful. He said, "If she wins, I will give her everything I own, including my ranch, my house, a lot of Western art she doesn't want, and her $13 million she was asking for. If I win, I get Quinton [their son]. That's all I want."

Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images30. Ted Danson had been married to Cassandra Coates for 11 years when he first crossed paths with Whoopi Goldberg on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1988. However, it wasn't until they played love interests in the 1993 comedy Made in America that sparks flew. Initially, they kept their relationship hidden, but after it reached the tabloids, Cassandra filed for divorce.

Archive Photos / Getty ImagesTed later told NPR, "I won't be too specific, but I didn't really grow up emotionally until I was in my 40s, and I was a bit of a liar in my relationship. I'll leave it at that. And I started to work on myself very seriously around that time. I went to clinics and a psychologist and a mentor. I worked very hard to not be that person who hid his emotions and left out the back door. So that was all kind of messily in the press, and my poor parents were going, 'What?' And I finally called them, and they were very sweet, and they came to support me and everything. The press sounded horrible. But the work underneath the press was invaluable. I'm very glad for that time, even though it was messy – very messy."

Eric Robert / Sygma via Getty ImagesTed and Whoopi dated for about a year and a half. Their split reportedly boiled down to the intense scrutiny they faced as well as their differences. She told Closer, "It was really painful, and it was very public. And the loss of his friendship hurts a great deal. We can never go and have a soda, anywhere. I'm friends with almost every man I've gone out with, except this man."

Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images31. In her memoir, Kris Jenner...And All Things Kardashian, Kris Jenner admitted to cheating on Robert Kardashian, whom she was married to from 1978 to 1991. Feeling bored in her marriage, Kris kissed someone else at a house party, and it snowballed into an "insanely intense affair." For months, they had "wild, crazy sex all the time" while she "constantly lied" to her husband and friends. Robert eventually found out what was going on, and a few months later, he divorced her. When their children learned about their separation, their daughters were "angry" that Kris had hurt their father, and they cried.

Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images32. In her memoir SayEverything, Ione Skye admitted to cheating on her first husband, Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys. They were married from 1992 to 1999. Describing herself as a "serial cheater," she alleged that she had relationships with Jenny Shimizu, Alice Temple, and Ingrid Casares. Ione told Avenue magazine, "It was the '90s model era in New York. At the time, it was such a fun scene. I was just swept up. The L Word – that's what it felt like, but better. Alice said she wasn't out then. It is so interesting – people who didn't know they were gay but were totally living in gay life. Alice was thrilled, though. She was like, 'You made me seem so cool.'"

Rose Hartman / Getty ImagesHowever, "the true beginning of the end" of her marriage to Adam was her affair with a woman she called "Mai Lei." Ione wrote, "If you've never cheated, I admire you, but I really don't expect you to understand why I would do what I was doing to the love of my life. I still don't truly understand it myself. I wasn't loyal to her. (There were other girls, too.) I loved her, thought her smile lit up the world. From the inside, I liked the life-within-a-life I had with her."

Steve Granitz / WireImage / Via GettyIn early 1996, Adam allegedly caught Ione holding Mai Lei in their pool. She wrote, "I waved to Adam. He didn't wave back, just turned and walked into the next room. I felt like throwing up in the pool… I couldn't speak. I felt as if I'd just witnessed a car crash, and Adam had been in the car. As if the world were ending. I was so, so afraid... [When she went inside] Adam said nothing. Just held me as I sobbed and dripped onto his shoulder."

Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images33. Ralph Fiennes and Alex Kingston started dating as students at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and got married a decade later in 1993. However, two years into their marriage, he allegedly left her for Francesca Annis, who played his mother in a theatrical production of Hamlet. She's about 18 years his senior. Ralph and Alex's divorce was finalized in 1997.

Robbie Jack / Corbis via Getty ImagesHis new relationship with Francesca didn't last forever. In 2006, they ended things amid allegations that he had an affair with a singer. Alex later told the Standard, "I know nothing about it, other than that I'm told they are no longer together. I feel no connection to him or to her now. It's been so long, I can't quite believe I was ever married to him."

Fred Duval / FilmMagic / Via Getty34. And finally, Kenneth Branagh was still married to his Fortunes of War costar Emma Thompson when he struck up a relationship with Helena Bonham Carter on the set of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in 1993. Before the affair was made public, Kenneth and Emma told the New York Times, "Our work has inevitably led to our spending long periods of time away from each other, and as a result, we have drifted apart." Their divorce was finalized in 1995, and his relationship with Helena lasted until 1999.

David Appleby / Tristar Pictures / Getty ImagesEmma later told the New Yorker, "I was utterly, utterly blind to the fact that he had relationships with other women on set. What I learned was how easy it is to be blinded by your own desire to deceive yourself... I was half alive. Any sense of being a lovable or worthy person had gone completely."

Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesThe heartbreak she experienced fueled her performance in Love Actually. She told the Telegraph, "I've had so much bloody practice at crying in a bedroom, then having to go out and be cheerful, gathering up the pieces of my heart and putting them in a drawer." Additionally, she has no lingering anger toward Helena. She said, "Oh we are [similar]. Being slightly mad and a bit fashion-challenged. Perhaps that's why Ken loved us both… Helena and I made our peace years and years ago."

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