Brenda Vaccaro Looks Happy at 83: She Found Peace with Longtime Husband after 'Wedding' to Michael Douglas

• Brenda Vaccaro was almost married to Michael Douglas back in the 70s.
• The actress fell in love with a man who became her longtime husband but battled issues with her weight in the early years.
• Now fans think she's beautiful in her 80s, and she lives a quiet life away from the spotlight.

In the past, Brenda Vaccaro confessed that she'd chosen the wrong path regarding her former relationship with Michael Douglas. In the 1970s, the actress and Michael lived together for seven years.

She revealed that they were almost married. The former couple met when she starred alongside him in "Midnight Cowboy. The actor fell in love with her before asking his father, Kirk Douglas, to introduce them.

The star also asked Kirk to offer Vaccaro a role in 1971's "Summertree." The actress confessed to having "loved him" and thought he was a great man, but she didn't wish to tie the knot with him, so they settled with something different. She recalled:

"Then we decided to have a 'hippie wedding' at my agent's house."

The couple said their vows promising to be together forever, but Vaccaro backed out when they had to marry for real. The actress admitted that she "really messed that one up," noting how she fell head over heels with Don Stroud.

The duo had a connection so intense she couldn't handle it, and her friend, Robert Shaw, warned her she was being hasty and making a mistake. Shaw warned her she'd regret breaking up with Michael for a momentary fling.

Vaccaro's friend was right; she regretted it. But back then, illegal substances were involved, which was a crazy time. Despite the regret, she eventually found a man she would be married to for decades, but she still struggled with some personal self-image issues that began long ago.

How Brenda Battled Her Weight Issues

In 1981, Vaccaro was so focused on getting back in shape that she left for UCLA, where she enrolled in the Optifast program. She was so worried that she'd eat herself out of the entertainment industry, but the program worked, and she lost 37 pounds in six weeks.

The star planned to lose 20 more pounds, with her helplessly noting how being thin was a winning formula in the industry. The Golden Globe winner, whose mother was tiny compared to her, had this to say:

"Since losing all those pounds, I feel a lot better psychologically as well as physically."

The celebrity revealed that losing weight changed her lifestyle. She'd been told a dozen times that they wanted her to be thin for acting roles; this included producers and the public, who wished female actors to look sexy or like sirens.

Vaccaro said she looked like a dowager, matronly, or like a teacher when gaining weight, further noting how she couldn't appear glamorous and heavy. She also acknowledged how the camera added ten to fifteen pounds, so one had to be underweight, and even being emaciated was fine.

At her skinniest and her best weight ever, Vaccaro weighed 116 pounds. The actress was sure she'd lost out on some roles due to being too thin but also noted how no one could be happy while starving.

Changing her weight was challenging, but her then-fiance, Chuck Cannizzaro, inspired her. The star believed the photographer must've loved her because they met when she'd started packing on the pounds.

Cannizzaro didn't help her much because he was a great cook, and they went out to restaurants when he wasn't in the kitchen! That led Vaccaro's weight to fluctuate because she loved eating, which was a great pleasure.

The actress was finally able to let go of the propaganda that was drilled into her by the entertainment industry. Below we look at her life, now that she's closer to turning 90.

Brenda's Current Appearance and Her Outlook on Aging

Vaccaro fell for Guy Hector when he came to her house for a charity event, and her dog ran into his arms. Hector took the canine with him when she filmed in Denver. They started out as friends, and it turned romantic after they went on a road trip to Northern California. They tied the knot in 1986 and stayed married for over three decades.

The star lived a simple life and discussed aging, noting how she never considered it.

On June 24, 2023, fans of the Emmy Award winner got to see what she looked like at 83 in the rare Instagram images she uploaded while visiting The Film Forum in New York City.

One person who replied to the post thought the actress was "Looking gorgeous!!" while someone else called her "Beautiful" and an "Icon." A third person also focused on the star's looks, writing:

"Hey Brenda, looking good."

Someone else felt Vaccaro was great in the movie she watched and described her as "so beautiful" before sending their love.

In 2021, the celebrity was living a quieter life. While walking through Brooklyn's Green Wood Cemetery with correspondent Mo Rocca for an interview, she admired the simple things in life, like the trees. The actress was stunned by their beauty and even went as far as urging them to touch them.

The star lived a simple life and discussed aging, noting how she never considered it. She also revealed that after celebrating a birthday, she sat up in bed and questioned why she felt fifteen!

Vaccaro, who lived primarily out of the spotlight, questioned where the time and years went. She wished to know if the years had really passed by and realized that they actually had.

In 2021, it was also reported that Vaccaro was single, having separated from Hector. It was not revealed when the separation took place.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vaccaro acted in some plays that premiered on Zoom and reflected on time, noting how she accepted two things as she got older: loss and other changes.

Vaccaro noted how one could lose a pet, a parent, or things, which was seen as a loss. However, change was the same, one day realizing you have arthritis because your arm is sore or you need a hip replacement, all things that had to be accepted gracefully.

Subscribe to AmoMama on Google News!