When the couple eventually married, she was 28. He was 61.
Cannon later said simply:
But the relationship came with a price.
Losing Herself to Love
Grant, by her own account, had very firm ideas about how his wife should look, behave, and even move through the world.
“He wanted me to quit my acting career, I did. He wanted to change my hair, the way I dressed, the way I walked, the way I wrote. And I so wanted to make him happy.”
She tried to mold herself into his ideal. She remembers noticing tiny details, even adjusting how she closed kitchen cupboards or how she drove, just to avoid upsetting him.
“I would try and close the cupboards more gently… try and drive with both hands on the steering wheel.”
Over time, she realized that suppressing her instincts and needs was destroying her.
Their marriage lasted only three years and ended in 1968. At the time of their divorce, Cannon claimed that Grant had treated her in “a cruel and inhuman manner,” alleging emotional cruelty, pressure to take LSD, and even physical abuse. Court documents also reflected the financial reality of the split: Grant’s income and fortune were significant, but she maintained she wasn’t after his money. Continue reading…
