Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's daughter opens up about the complexity of their marriage

By Rebelander Basilan

Aug 23, 2018

04:30 A.M.

Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, opened up about her legendary parents' "horrible" divorce.

Lucille and Desi were married in 1940. They shared two children, Lucie, 67, and Desi Arnaz Jr., 65.

To the public, their marriage seemed perfect. They even starred in the American television sitcom "I Love Lucy" together, where they acted a married couple just like real life.

"I would defy anyone to deny that they were one of the 20th century’s greatest couples," Carol Channing, the two star's friend, told Closer Weekly. "There’s Adam and Eve, Caesar and Cleopatra, Napoleon and Josephine, George and Gracie... and Desi and Lucy."

However, Lucille and Desi were falling apart off-screen.

Lucille couldn’t handle her husband at the end of the day, so their marriage ended in 1960, two decades after they tied the knot.

Lucie was nine years old and her brother, Desi Jr., was seven at the time.

“They were fighting all the time. Their divorce was horrible. And then there was the alcoholism,’ Lucie told Closer Weekly.

“We didn’t have any abuse, but we did go through some pretty hard stuff and that’s why my parents didn’t stay together.”

The divorce, however, was hard for Lucille despite all the fights and differences. According to the news outlet, the actress previously stated that her darkest moment was “when I got divorced and disappointed millions of people by doing so.”

Closer Weekly reported that the former couple had an everlasting friendship despite their divorce.

Lucille remarried with standup comedian Gary Morton in 1961. Desi also found love again in 1963 with Edith Mack Hirsch.

In December 1986, Desi passed away at age 69 from lung cancer. Before his death, he once wrote that the hit series "I Love Lucy" was never just the title (of the show.)"

In April 1989, Lucille died due to Aortic dissection. She was 77 years old.