Continuing on our pics of all the former Mrs. Clark Gables... Today we feature Lady Sylvia Ashley, the fourth Mrs. Gable. Born Sylvia Edith Louise Hawkes in London on April 1 (year is stated as anywhere between 1906 and 1911). Sylvia ran away from home at age fifteen and became a lingerie model and a chorus girl. She married British Lord Anthony Ashley and caused a worldwide scandal when her husband filed for divorce and named Douglas Fairbanks Sr. (who was married to Americas Sweetheart Mary Pickford) co-respondent. Once both of their divorces were final, Sylvia and Doug Sr. were married. After he died in 1939, she split her time between Hollywood and London. In 1944, she married Lord Stanley of Alderly, divorcing him two years later. Clark and Sylvia locked eyes at a party in the summer of 1949. Most of his friends didnt think much of the romance, as he was seeing several other ladies at the time and hadnt been serious about anyone since Carole Lombard had died in 1942. Everyone was shocked when Clark pulled together a quickie wedding at a home in Solvang,CA on December 20, 1949. After a seemingly blissful honeymoon in Hawaii, Sylvia moved into the ranch and redecorated it, often invited her stuffy friends and relatives to stay, and threw dinner parties---all things that got under Clarks skin. She tried to participate in his passions for camping, fishing and hunting, but just was not up to the task. Friends noticed Clark had become increasingly irritable and tense as the months wore on. He became very distant toward Sylvia and started drinking heavily. She soon started spending more and more time in her native England. After she returned from one trip and was soaking in her tub, he came in, said “I want a divorce” and walked out. She later recalled, “At first I couldn’t believe Clark was serious. I stayed on at the house for several weeks, during which time he rarely spoke to me. When he did, he was very sullen. I tried everything I knew how to get him to change his mind. Ultimately, I had to give in.” The divorce was final on April 21, 1952, after being separated for a year. You can read the whole saga of their marriage on the site: dearmrgable/?page_id=3389
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 06:05:00 +0000
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