While the iconic actor was not the best husband, Tarita stuck with him and completely out of love.
When a couple gets married, they look forward to living together for the rest of their days. But what if you learn that this life is not what a happy life should be? You start to back peddle. Hollywood legend Marlon Brando's third wife, Tarita Teriipaia, however, never fell out of love with her husband despite the grave lows that they faced in their marital life. She swung from one high to another, stumbled upon the bumps, but refused to give up.
The more one knows about her attachment to her husband the more they get inspired by the sheer devotion she had for the relationship.
The Oscar-winning actor was not known for being loyal in his relationships, in fact, Tarita's memoir Marlon, My Love, My Suffering described their troubled relationship in a way that would wrench the most peaceful soul. But for some reason, the two kept looming in each other's lives, refusing to walk away from the relationship they had built together. Tarita later revealed that it was her love for her husband that kept her wanting to fight for him.
The French actress first met The Godfather actor on the sets of Mutiny on the Bounty and there was an instant connection. They exchanged vows in 1962 and Tarita went on to become the mother of Brando's two children - a son, Simon Teihotu, and a daughter, Tarita Cheyenne.
After the actor's death is 2004, she released her memoir and revealed that she wrote the book to get over her past, reports Mail Online. During the marriage, that lasted 10 years, Brando was described to be volatile - at times, he would be raging out of anger and other times, he would be kind and loving. Having said that, Tarita described their relationship in the memoir as a passionate one.
Tarita admits that while she did find it initially overwhelming, her love for him trumped every other aspect of the relationship. They parted ways after 10 years but stayed in each other's lives until the day he died. Brando, in fact, couldn't see Tarita with other men and kept coming back to her, reports The Sunday Morning Herald.
In an emotional confession from the 2005 memoir, the actress also revealed that despite everything, she felt secure with him and feels that he is still around her. "He attracted me and at the same time he scared me," she said. "He gives me everything. With him I feel protected, he watches over me, he gives me everything I want."
According to The Sunday Morning Herald, Brando also confessed his love for Tarita decades after they first met. Their daughter Cheyenne committed suicide after her boyfriend's unexpected death and it left both the parents devastated. It was during a grief management session after Cheyenne's death that Brando admitted to loving her even while living apart. While they were not together anymore, they could never truly leave each other and continued being a part of each other's lives.
Tarita added that writing the book about her and Brando's bond was cathartic for her and it made her understand that she loves him regardless of the turbulent relationship they shared. "It allowed me to understand that despite everything, we loved each other. It was probably an impossible love, but it was our love."
References:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-336192/Brandos-wife-tells-memoirs.html
https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/brandos-ex-wife-tells-all-20050201-gdklry.html