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“I think I’ve reached a peaceful life.
I have everything I ever wanted, which is a wonderful family with beautiful children and beautiful grandchildren.”
The two knew each other for only a few short weeks before Villani became pregnant.
Villani developed health problems; thus, she was unable to work.
Villani decided to move back home with her parents.
Soon, the onset of World War II started, and the family’s money struggles deepened.
Their town of Pozzuoli was reportedly declared the poorest in all of Italy, while famine struck the nation.
Villani pressured him to marry her, but he refused and would not budge.
In Rome, her landlady took care of Sophia while she went out and looked for work.
This news was terrifying to Villani, who was unable to nurse her child.
Her only option was to hire a wet nurse.
“The children at school all had families with a father,” Loren told theIndependentin 2021.
But it didn’t make us any less of a family because my mother was not married."
Pozzuoli was home to a harbor and a munitions plant both frequently targeted with bombs.
However, times weren’t all bad.
The two took a liking to each other, and began dating.
Ponti saw Loren’s talent from the beginning, so he started helping her pursue movies.
Instead of standing up for Loren, Ponti chimed in and sided with the photographer.
“Sophia, have you ever thought about … softening your … dominant profile?”
In essence, Ponti groomed Loren both in looks and her career.
Even after reciting his vows to Loren, Ponti continued to find himself in trouble with the law.
Ultimately, the charges were appealed and dropped.
The tax professional she hired had since died, so Loren was alone to face the miscalculated return.
Though she was sentenced to 30 days in jail, Loren ended up only serving 17.
“On our last night, he invited me out, looking more solemn than usual.”
As much affection as Loren had for Grant, there was no question what she was going to do.
“My mother has always been very close to her roots,” he shared.
“Her roots run very deep.
He was a man whose emotional language she understood.”
“I never had a relationship with my father,” Loren explained toThe Irish Timesin 2020.
“What Carlo gave me were the tools to believe in myself,” she told The Irish Times.
“He showed me that I could make my dreams come true.
We were partners in love, in family, and in work.
I don’t want to think of my life without him in it.”
Unfortunately, Ponti died in 2007 at the age of 94 with Loren right by his side.
