Jackie Kennedy always knew that her relationship with John F. Kennedy would be rife with "heartbreak," a new book has revealed. James Patterson has delved into the family's history and come up with some surprising anecdotes in "The House of Kennedy," which was published last week, according to People. One haunting aspect was Jackie's prediction.
She met John at a dinner party in Washington in 1952. A mutual friend, Charles Bartlett, introduced the two and they instantly hit it off. John reportedly found Jackie "a challenge" and there was nothing he liked "better than a challenge," Patterson writes. Jackie was weary of the future president, who was known for his affairs, but decided to throw caution to the wind.
"This latest meeting takes root, and Jackie later says she determined of their relationship, 'Such heartbreak would be worth the pain,'" Patterson continues.
The couple went on to win the White House but they encountered their share of obstacles along the way. Jackie suffered great loss three times before her husband was assassinated.
The first blow came in 1955 when she miscarried at three months into her pregnancy, Huffington Post reported. The following year she gave birth to a stillborn. In 1963 she lost her tiny son 39 hours after giving birth.
There was joy interspersed between the pain when Jackie gave birth to two healthy children, Caroline and John Jr. but her happiness was tainted by rumors of her husband's numerous affairs. Then on Nov. 22, 1963, John was assassinated.
That fateful day would haunt Jackie until her death from cancer in May 1994. One moment, she was sitting beside John in the backseat of the presidential limousine, chatting with the Texas Gov. John Connally and his wife Nellie, the next moment her husband was slumped in her arms after being shot in the head by a sniper's bullet.
John was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. Jackie arrived in tow, still wearing her blood-soaked pink Chanel suit, which she refused to take off. As a loyal wife, she wanted the world to see "what they have done" to her husband. Hours later John died.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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