Orson Welles, the second husband of Hollywood icon Rita Hayworth, disclosed a shocking secret to biographer Barbara Leaming in 1983.
According to Welles, Hayworth despised her father Eduardo Cansino due to the physical and s**ual abuse she endured at his hands.
This revelation is featured in Leaming’s book titled “If This Was Happiness,” as reported by PEOPLE.
Leaming, who was researching a biography of Welles at the time, discovered Hayworth’s deep-rooted hatred for her father during their conversations.
Despite her sweet disposition and forgiving nature, Hayworth’s rages and personality changes hinted at a deeper issue.
It was during one of these discussions that Leaming asked Welles about incest, to which he confirmed the truth.
Motivated by this newfound information, Leaming decided to make Hayworth the subject of her next biography.
In 1986, she conducted interviews with the star’s companions, relatives, and colleagues in the film industry to gain further insight into Hayworth’s life.
Through her extensive research, Leaming concluded that Hayworth’s tumultuous adult life was a result of her incestuous relationship with Cansino.
This traumatic experience shaped her behavior, including her struggles as a mother.
Hayworth desperately wanted to be the perfect mother, a common desire among incest victims who attempt to compensate for their own mothers’ failures.
However, this idealization often leads to failure and disappointment.
Hayworth’s relationships with men were also affected by her past.
In her pursuit of genuine love and security, she married five times.
Her first marriage, at the young age of 18, was to her manager Edward Judson, who was significantly older than her.
Although Judson supported her career, he proved to be just as wicked as her father.
The marriage ended in divorce, with Hayworth relinquishing their assets to him.
In 1943, Hayworth married Orson Welles during the run of “The Mercury Wonder Show.”
They had a daughter together but faced numerous challenges in their marriage.
Despite the difficulties, Hayworth considered Welles the love of her life.
Their divorce was finalized in 1948.
Hayworth’s third marriage was to Prince Aly Khan in 1949, but it ended in a bitter divorce.
The couple had a daughter named Princess Yasmin.
She then married actor and singer d–k Haymes in 1953, only to divorce him two years later after he took financial advantage of her.
Hayworth’s final marriage was to film producer James Hill in 1958, but it ended in divorce due to mental cruelty in 1961.
In her later years, Hayworth struggled with her health and declining memory, making it difficult for her to continue acting.
In 1976, she made headlines when she appeared drunk, agitated, and confused while disembarking from a plane.
Her daughter Yasmin became her conservator in 1981 and provided the love and care that Hayworth had always sought.
In February 1987, Hayworth fell into a semi-coma and passed away three months later at the age of 68 due to complications related to Alzheimer’s disease.
Throughout her life, despite becoming one of Hollywood’s greatest stars, Hayworth never found true happiness.
Leaming emphasized that her book aims to shed light on the devastating effects of incest and provide a deeper understanding of Hayworth’s life.
Despite the challenges she faced, Hayworth left behind a remarkable legacy as an actress.
She appeared in a total of 61 films over 37 years and is best known for her roles in “Gilda,” “Cover Girl,” “You Were Never Lovelier,” and “The Lady from Shanghai.”
In recognition of her talent, Hayworth received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress and was named one of the top-25 greatest female stars of Classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute in 1999.
