Ann-Margret (real name Ann-Margret Olsson) is a Hollywood legend.
But her charmed career didn’t come without its drawbacks.
But living in a new country wasn’t without its challenges.
What happened because of that I actually won a few spelling bees."
She embarked on her first tour in Vietnam after soldiers signed a petition asking her to come.
Nothing could deter me."
“I was never scared in 1966 or 1968,” she said.
Ann-Margret also doesn’t view what she did as anything extraordinary but as her duty.
To her, the true heroes are the troops.
“All I do is sing, dance, and act.
They are the ones making all the sacrifices and are incredible patriots.”
“Numerous bones in my face were either broken or fractured.
My jaw was broken in two places.
My left arm was broken.
There was a huge gash on my knee, which had split open, like a splattered tomato.
The doctors feared I’d never dance again if I survived.”
Thankfully, Ann-Margret pulled through and her career was unharmed she returned to performing just a few months later.
Ann-Margret suffered an injury during the scene that resulted in her being rushed to the hospital.
Surprisingly, the incident didn’t put her off beans.
“It was quite an experience,” she toldThe Hollywood Reporter.
“And I’m proud of the work that I did.”
I find that book disgusting."
The book blasted Presley, criticizing everything from his vocal skills to his romantic life.
It would become a force we couldn’t control."
Presley continued to send flowers to Ann-Margret until his death in 1977.
Ann-Margret attended his funeral, and years after his death, she visited his father, Vernon.
“He is a part of me …
It’s rare to have such a friend as Elvis, rare to have such a soulmate.”
She was 26 and he was 34.
Ann-Margret threw herself into caring for her husband.
For many women, all this is a given, but for me it was a quiet triumph."
Thankfully, Smith eventually went into remission, and they were able to spend many more happy years together.
After tying the knot with Roger Smith, she longed to start a family with him.
Alas, having a biological child wasn’t in the cards for her.
‘Whatever my higher power feels is right for me, I will accept.
“I was his only child and he was my protector,” she toldThe Hollywood Reporterof their relationship.
When she did head to the studio, her mother was on her mind.
Ann-Margret never got over the death of her parents, but her belief in an afterlife keeps her going.
I could not go a step further," she toldCBN’s Scott Ross.
“The easy thing in Hollywood is to tune out.
To drink and use drugs,” she once told Roger Ebert.
Over the years, she began to drink more and also abused sleeping pills.
After seeking treatment, Ann-Margret became sober in 1980 and didn’t look back.
“You never really overcome it,” she said.
“But I dealt with it.
I have constantly been dealing with it.
… You always have to be aware of it.”
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available.
Visit theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration websiteor contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Her love of motorcycles.
Sure enough, she remained unfazed and is still an avid motorcycle devotee decades after her 2000 fall.
As she toldVanity Fair, “I’m just gonna get up on that bike again.
I’m going to get up from whatever happened to me.
I will get up and go.”
Their long-lasting marriage was a true rarity in Hollywood, where celebrity couplings are often short-lived.
“It’s very simple actually,” Ann-Margret toldPeople.
“We both want it to work.”
After spending most of her life with Smith, Ann-Margret was understandably devastated after he died in 2017.
She also threw herself into her work, which provided a much-needed distraction.
“You’re not dead when you reach a certain age,” she toldCloser Weekly.
“You have to keep living and not sit at home and watch TV alone.
You have to participate.”
Of course, she will never forget her husband no matter how busy she is.
Still, she remains hopeful.
“She believes he is still watching out for her.”
