Barbara Eden has suffered a great deal in her life, including the dissolution of two marriages and the loss of two children. Despite this, it seems that the actress has finally met the man who would make her happy and married him for the third time. The couple has been married for more than three decades and continues to serve as a source of motivation for many. The important events in Eden’s life are detailed here.
Barbara Eden has carved a name for herself in Hollywood as an actress, singer, and producer thanks to her work in a variety of film and television productions. The movie diva has not only had an eventful career that has spanned the decades, but she has also had a fairytale love life.
At the age of 91, Eden has gone through three marriages, each of which has had a significant impact on her. The actor began her married life by uniting her life with Michael Ansara. Ansara was a guy in Hollywood and a sex symbol in the same way that Eden was.
The stage and film actor stood at a considerable height, had a dark complexion, brown eyes, and had a powerful air of masculinity. 1958 was the year that he and Eden had their first encounter, and 1958 was also the year that they became engaged and married. Eden described the moment when Ansara proposed to her in “Jeannie Out of the Bottle,” the autobiography written by the actress.
According to her account, the actor came up on the set of “How to Marry a Millionaire” without giving any prior notice at some point throughout the day. Upon their arrival, Ansara gave Eden a kiss and then handed her a bag made of white paper.
The performer remembers feeling delighted and mistaking the contents of the bag for sweets at the time. When she inspected the bag, however, she discovered a diamond ring that could be worn as an engagement ring. Eden expressed her contentment and agreed to forward with the proposition.
After a few months had passed, the couple finally tied the knot and exchanged vows. In August of 1965, seven years after the couple had first met, they became parents to their lone child, Matthew. In her book, Eden talked about her son like this while she was talking about him:
“We referred to him as our little good luck charm. At long last, we were blessed with a baby, and our hearts overflowed with love for our new bundle of joy. Our excitement had no bounds, and our expectations that he would have a life full of health and happiness knew no bounds too. Matthew was the most important person in each of our lives.”
Eden seemed to have the perfect life, complete with a kid and a husband who adored her, but it was only a matter of time until her circumstances underwent a dramatic shift.
Eden and her husband both suffer a terrible fate.
After the birth of their son Matthew, the actress became a mother for the second time. It was wonderful news for Eden and Ansara, who were eager to expand their family by having another child.
The actress made her regular trips to the hospital during her pregnancy, where she received reassurances from the medical staff that her unborn child was developing normally. But as time passed, Eden started to feel sick, despite the fact that the doctors assured her that everything was going to be well. Unfortunately, it was discovered that the movie actress had been carrying a stillborn baby all along, and that she would not give birth to a live child.
Eden claims that the baby passed away in the seventh month, but this information was concealed from them until the kid was delivered. The death of the actress’ kid precipitated a downhill turn in the rest of her life. She came dangerously close to losing her mind and ultimately acquired depression as a result.
To make things even worse, Eden’s husband did not provide her with a great deal of support, which had a big negative impact on their marriage. The actress’s sadness caused her to deteriorate physically over time, and the growing distance between her and her husband also contributed to their marital problems.
After some time had passed, Eden filed for divorce. In her memoirs, she spoke of how Ansara’s anger was sparked by her request. Eden claims that the actor did not want a divorce since he insisted on being happy with his wife and wanted to preserve their marriage.
The actress, on the other hand, said that she was in a bottomless hole and that she needed to leave her marriage. After being together for 15 years, the couple decided to end their relationship and go their separate ways on May 28, 1973.
Eden Finds Love Again
Eden found love once again in the hands of another Hollywood guy, Charles Donald Fegert, after her previous marriage to another Hollywood man ended in failure. The first time Eden and her future husband saw face to face was in 1974, and she later said that their first conversation was cut short because she found his demeanor to be “grating” on her. The actress claims that her interest in the marketing executive continued to wane after he yelled: “I’m not interested in you!”
“Hey, someone, snap a picture of me with my arm around my fantasy dream lady,” the speaker said.
The actress referred to Fegert as “rude and violent,” and it was obvious from the look of disdain on her face that she did not want to have anything to do with him. Despite this, Fegert eventually won Eden over and won her affection over time.
The marketing professional understood how to court a woman thanks to his evident masculinity and the fact that he was attractive to women. He continued to give the actress flowers and called her on a regular basis. Eden eventually relaxed her guard and let her guard down.
The famous actress from Hollywood said that she was a lonely divorced mother before she met Fegert. Since he helped her feel better about herself and more important, she took the choice to bring him into her life. Eden and her second husband finally tied the wedding in 1977, three years after they had first begun dating.
Following the wedding, Fegert had the intention of providing Eden with the necessary assistance and attention she required. But, alas, that plan did not come to fruition. The former couple’s relationship was dissolved in 1982, after they had been married for a total of five years.
Eden finally struck gold on her third attempt.
Eden, who was already in her late 50s at the time, decided not to pursue romantic relationships any more after her first two marriages ended in divorce. On the other hand, destiny had something else in store for the actress. Jon Eicholtz, a structural engineer and real estate developer, would become a later acquaintance of hers.
After the actress and her husband had supper next to the engineer, who they felt was fantastic, her friend had informed her about Eicholtz, and the starlet said that her friend had told her about him.
Eden said that it took four weeks from the time she first heard about her future husband before she and Eicholtz went out on their first date. According to the actress, their very first get-together was a “quick meal.”
Soon after their first date, Eden and Eicholtz began a love relationship with one other. Soon after that, she learned that her boyfriend was a widower whose wife had died from breast cancer. She was devastated to learn this news.
In spite of the revelation, Eden did not change her mind, and throughout her time with Eicholtz, she felt a sense of contentment and joy for the first time in a very long time. In the following months, Eden’s romantic life seemed to be continuing in a positive direction, but then a terrible accident occurred.
Matthew, her adult son, began taking drugs and finally became hooked to them. However, the icon was fortunate enough to have a friend in Eicholtz, on whom she could depend for assistance during the difficult time period.
In spite of the fact that Matthew was still struggling with his addiction, Eden and Eicholtz decided to be married in a low-key and private ceremony in 1991.
After they were married, the two sweethearts continued to assist Matthew in overcoming his addiction. Sadly, on June 26, 2001, Matthew passed away at the age of 35 due to an overdose caused by drugs.
Both Eden and Eicholtz suffered a tremendous loss as a result of Matthew’s passing, but Eden more so. Eden was forever thankful to the engineer for being at his wife’s side and providing the support she needed during this difficult time. In her words:
“I count it as one of my greatest blessings because Jon was never far from my side throughout it all.”
Even after more than twenty years have passed after Matthew’s passing, the pair is still together and going stronger than ever before. On January 5, 2023, Eden and Eicholtz will celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary together as a happy married couple.
The actress believes that one of the keys to a happy and successful marriage is the ability to put one’s partner’s needs ahead of one’s own.
For instance, even though she does not really like watching sports, she does it with her spouse because she loves him, even if it is not her preferred activity. After all that Eden has been through, it is wonderful to see her finally finding some kind of contentment and inner peace.
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