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Ali MacGraw gave up her life for Steve McQueen, and was left shattered and 'broke' after divorce

Ali MacGraw and Steve McQueen split up in 1977, just three years before McQueen died of cancer

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: As a Hollywood veteran, Ali MacGraw is known for her evergreen beauty and ground-breaking on-screen performances in movies including ‘Convoy’, ‘The Getaway’ and ‘Love Story’, which made her a 1970s icon. However, her own love stories have been equally epic. The 84-year-old star has been married thrice - first to a Harvard student, then to a Hollywood producer, and lastly to a movie star.

It was the 'Love Story' actress's marriage to Steve McQueen that undoubtedly garnered the most public attention. MacGraw was married to her second husband Robert Evans when she first met Steve McQueen on the set of their movie ‘The Getaway’. Being smitten by his looks, the actress soon got into a relationship with McQueen, who was known to charm women. She previously described her chemistry with McQueen as “chemical.” “This was a man who could walk into any room and man, woman, and child all would go, ‘Whoa, what’s that?’ And I was no exception,” she told People.

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Steve McQueen made Ali MacGraw give up her career

MacGraw, who was first married to her college sweetheart Robin Hoen, soon divorced Evans and went on to marry McQueen, who turned out to be a jealous man. McQueen’s jealousy eventually led him to make MacGraw give up her career for their marriage. While MacGraw started taking care of the family, McQueen continued to act and eventually rose to become one of the world's highest-paid movie stars. The actress previously claimed that McQueen "was tremendously insecure and dangerous" during their tumultuous five-year-long marriage, according to Express UK.

The 'Convoy' actress also noted that the enmity of her ex-husband also took a toll on their children. Before taking on the role of stepmother to Chad and Terry, who McQueen had from his previous marriage, MacGraw was the mother of Josh, a son she had with Evans. Chad previously revealed that McQueen was aggressive towards his wives but he never failed to show affection for his children. "If any good came out of him feeling so unwanted as a kid, it was that he always made sure me and my older sister, Terry, knew how much he loved us,” Chad told Express UK.

Why did Ali MacGraw divorce Steve McQueen?

By the summer of 1977, MacGraw’s marriage to McQueen started to fall apart. They both engaged in extramarital affairs and finally MacGraw considered acting once again. She accepted a role in 'Convoy' in 1977 after being persuaded by her agency. However, when she got back home and told McQueen that she was getting back on the screens, he told her, "In that case, we are filing for divorce." The couple split up in 1977, just three years before McQueen died of cancer. However, things got tough after their divorce as the prenup MacGraw had signed left her broke and desperate to find acting roles wherever she could.

The actress eventually said the conditions made in the prenup were part of McQueen's masculine ego, according to Amomama. After her divorce, MacGraw took up more acting roles, including in 'Players', 'The Winds of War', and 'Just Tell Me What You Want'. Now, five decades later, MacGraw lives a peaceful and fulfilling life with her family. She left Hollywood in 1994 and started a new life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she picked up new ventures. Her son Josh, a film director, is married to singer Roxy Saint since 2012. The couple have one child together, a son, Jackson. MacGraw has retained her attractiveness even at the age of 84. She was named one of the sexiest women in film history in 2008 thanks to her performance in 'The Getaway'.