For some celebrities, marriage is more of a recurring hobby rather than a lifelong commitment. When it comes to love, marriage, and commitment, meet the top 10 celebrities who just couldn’t seem to get it right.
1. Zsa Zsa Gabor
Hungarian-born socialite and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor tied the knot nine times in her lifetime. She first married at age 18 to Burhan Belge, but her most talked-about marriage was with Conrad Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels, with whom she had her only daughter, Francesca. Interestingly, one of Zsa Zsa’s marriages lasted just a single day before it was annulled. Her final husband was German-American businessman Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, to whom she remained married until she passed away at 99 years old. According to Zsa Zsa, “A girl must marry for love, and keep on marrying until she finds it.”
2. Mickey Rooney
Legendary actor Mickey Rooney, whose career lasted nearly nine decades, lived a love life as busy as his schedule. At 19, he married his first wife, actress Ava Gardner, who later called him her biggest mistake. In total, Rooney was married eight times, with six of the marriages ending in divorce.
3. Elizabeth Taylor
British-American actress Elizabeth Taylor said “I do” eight times to seven husbands, including twice to Richard Burton. Her first marriage was at age 18 to Conrad Hilton Jr., but along the way, she tied the knot with stars like Mike Todd. It’s safe to say Taylor’s eyes, widely considered the most striking in Hollywood, were put to extensive use.
4. Larry King
Television icon Larry King may have been a master interviewer but was also a master at saying “I do.” He married eight times, twice to Alene Akins. However, his first marriage was to his high school sweetheart, Freda Miller, at the age of 19.
5. Lana Turner
American actress Lana Turner once said, “My goal was to have one husband and seven children, but it turned out to be the other way around.” Her first marriage to Artie Shaw was at the age of 19. Afterwards, she got married seven more times, twice to Stephen Crane, who she had a child with.
6. Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis was an American singer-songwriter and pianist, popularly known as “The Killer.” He married seven times, with his relationships marked by scandal, tragedy, and controversy. His most notorious marriage was to his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown. This shocked the world, sparked outrage, and left his career in ruins. However, the marriage lasted over a decade and produced two children, despite allegations of abuse.
7. Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis married six times and had several high-profile affairs during his lifetime. His first marriage, at age 26, was to actress Janet Leigh, which ended amid his infidelity. He openly acknowledged his struggles with fame and infidelity, saying, “I was young, I got famous too fast, and I made mistakes.” He had six children, including actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis.
8. Hedy Lamarr
Regarded as “The Most Beautiful Woman in Film,” Hedy Lamarr was not only a famous Hollywood actress but also an inventor. Her creations included a frequency-hopping radio communications device for Allied torpedoes during World War II. However, Lamarr’s love life was complex: she was married six times, starting at 18. After her final divorce from her last husband, Lewis Boies, she remained unmarried for the last 35 years of her life
9. Joan Collins
Actress and author Joan Collins has been married five times, beginning at 19, with one of her husbands being bandleader Anthony Newley. However, she has been married to her present husband, Percy Gibson, since 2002. Her marriage to Percy has been her longest, despite a 32-year age gap. According to her, she “kissed a lot of frogs” before finding her “prince.”
10. Rita Hayworth
Actress and dancer Rita Hayworth got married five times, beginning at age 18. Among her husbands were iconic figures like Orson Welles and Prince Aly Khan. Despite these high-profile unions, Hayworth never found the lasting love she deeply craved. She once expressed a strong desire for genuine love, stating, “All I wanted was just what everyone else wants – to be loved.”
While some later found lasting partnerships, others had to give up on the idea of commitment and love. Their repeated trips down the aisle reveal that even for Hollywood’s brightest stars, finding enduring partnership remains one of life’s toughest scripts.