For the first time in his life, Sinatra had lost all the power in a relationship. When Gardner flew to Africa to film Mogambo in 1953, he followed her as a big romantic gesture, but she was clearly unexcited to see him.
Lee said: “It just broke his heart.”
Yet, Sinatra pulled off an extraordinary comeback. With his film and music career seemingly over he landed a role in 1953’s From Here To Eternity with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr. The rumours were that the studio hadn’t wanted him, but Sinatra’s Mafia connections smoothed the way. Others say Gardner pulled in some favours. Either way, it paid off and the star ended up winning a best Supporting Actor Oscar.
At the same time, his music career was revived when he rode the latest Swing craze, starting with his return hit I’ve Got The World On A String. Unfortunately, his professional success was not matched at home.
Uzarowski explained why: “Ava said the moment things started going well for him, he went back to his arrogant ways, which she detested… Their relationship suffered because they didn’t trust each other.”
This was made brutally clear when she travelled to London to have a secret abortion in 1952. When the Catholic Sinatra discovered this, it was devastating.
Uzarowski added: “He was overheard saying she should have killed him for what she’d done to him and the baby.”
