Jackie Kennedy was one of the most photographed women in history, yet she managed to keep a surprising number of secrets hidden from the public. Behind the polished image of the first lady was a woman with a complex private life, marked by hidden habits, difficult compromises, and personal struggles. Here are 15 weird facts about her private life.
Jackie was a heavy chain smoker who smoked three packs of cigarettes a day for over 40 years. She went to great lengths to hide this habit, demanding that photographers put down their cameras when she needed to light up. Her Secret Service agents were instructed to shield her from view whenever she smoked in public, and she remained vigilant about keeping cigarettes out of sight at events. This addiction contributed to her diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1994, which spread to her brain and liver. She passed away on May 19, 1994, at the age of 64.
By the mid-1950s, Jackie was considering divorcing JFK due to his constant infidelities. This created a problem for the Kennedy family, as a divorced politician had little chance of winning the presidency. JFK's father, Joseph Kennedy, made Jackie an offer she couldn't refuse: he would pay her $100,000, worth over $1 million today, to stay married and help his son win the 1960 election. Jackie accepted the deal, but she made it clear that this was purely a business arrangement, and she used the leverage to negotiate more freedom and independence.
Jackie wasn't naive about her husband's affairs and placed her own informant inside the office of JFK's personal secretary, Evelyn Lincoln. This spy monitored the president's activities, noting which women visited the Oval Office and how long they stayed. The information was passed along to Jackie, giving her a comprehensive picture of her husband's activities. This surveillance system showed how far she was willing to go to maintain control in a marriage that had lost any pretense of fidelity.
Jackie was born with one leg a quarter of an inch shorter than the other, a condition known as leg length discrepancy. She had custom lifts installed in every pair of shoes she owned to correct her posture and gait. The lifts were designed to be invisible, and her shoemakers were sworn to secrecy. Despite being closely watched and photographed, no one ever noticed the modifications, showing her commitment to maintaining a flawless public image.
Long before she was known for her grace, young Jacqueline Bouvier was a troublemaker at school. Her teachers at Miss Chapen School in New York City described her as "full of the devil." She disrupted geography lessons, talked out of turn, and passed notes, leading to multiple trips to the head mistress's office. Her rebellious streak and unwillingness to conform served her well later in life.
Jackie's legal battle with paparazzo Ron Galella lasted 26 years. Galella was obsessed with photographing her, following her everywhere and even stalking her children. Jackie filed a lawsuit in 1972, and after Galella repeatedly violated the restraining order, she took him back to court in 1981. The judge banned him from photographing Jackie or her children again, effectively ending his career. The legal battle cost both sides enormous amounts of money, but Jackie was determined to protect her privacy.
In 1972, nude photos of Jackie sunbathing on Aristotle Onassis's private island appeared in an Italian magazine. Many believed Onassis himself orchestrated the leak as revenge for Jackie's out-of-control spending, which reportedly exceeded $1 million in a single year. The photos devastated Jackie and permanently damaged their relationship. Although they remained married until his death in 1975, the trust between them never fully recovered.
After leaving the White House, Jackie pursued a career in book publishing and became an editor at Doubleday. One of her most unexpected projects was working on Michael Jackson's autobiography, "Moonwalk," published in 1988. Jackson was difficult to reach, but Jackie was the only person who could get him on the phone. She spent hours interviewing him about his life and helped him organize his thoughts, demonstrating her real skills as an editor.
Jackie hated her iconic wedding dress, designed by Anne Lowe. The gown featured an enormous skirt made from 50 yards of ivory silk taffeta, and Jackie complained that it made her look like a lampshade. She was self-conscious about her flat chest and felt the fitted bodice drew attention to it. The dress wasn't what she wanted, but it was a Kennedy family production, and she had to wear it and smile for the cameras.
Jackie's distinctive breathy voice wasn't natural. She cultivated it at Miss Porter's School, where she learned a mid-Atlantic accent that combined British and American English. This artificial speaking style was considered elegant and upper-class, and Jackie worked hard to perfect it. People who knew her said her real voice was deeper and more forceful, but she rarely let it be heard in public.
When Jackie was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1994, she made a deliberate decision to destroy a massive collection of personal letters. These included intimate correspondence from JFK, letters from lovers, and communications from friends and family. She spent hours feeding them into a fire or shredder, ensuring that no one would ever have access to this material. She was determined to control her legacy and protect her privacy.
Jackie was well aware of JFK's affair with Marilyn Monroe and warned him that the actress was a "suicide waiting to happen." She begged him to end the relationship, fearing that Monroe's instability would destroy his presidency. Monroe died in August 1962 from an apparent overdose, and Jackie's prediction had tragically come true. She never publicly commented on Monroe's death, but she felt vindicated in her assessment.
After giving birth to John Jr. in November 1960, Jackie was physically exhausted for the inauguration in January 1961. Her doctors prescribed Dexedrine, an amphetamine, to help her get through the festivities. She attended all five inaugural balls and fulfilled her duties as first lady without any public indication of her exhaustion. The use of such drugs was common in the 1960s, prescribed freely without full understanding of their long-term consequences.
After accepting Joseph Kennedy's payment to stay married, Jackie demanded the same freedom to have affairs as her husband. She insisted that if she had to tolerate JFK's infidelities, she should be allowed to do as she pleased in her private life, as long as she was discreet. The arrangement was agreed upon, and Jackie pursued relationships with other men without fear of JFK's anger, as long as she didn't create public scandals.
Every November, the anniversary of JFK's assassination caused Jackie severe anxiety. She would bite her fingernails down to the quick throughout the entire month, a nervous habit she couldn't control. The media coverage of the assassination forced her to relive the worst day of her life year after year. Her children learned to be extra gentle during this time, and friends tried to distract her, but nothing helped until December arrived and the cycle started over again.