Grace Kelly and Clark Gable’s Rumored Affair Got Steamy On Set In Africa
Grace Kelly is known for many things today, but before royalty changed her life forever, she was like any other Hollywood star.
She took on several roles, many of which contributed to a nice shelf of distinguished awards, and became a movie icon. She was also rumored to have gotten involved in many affairs with some famous names in the industry.
Most notably, she was the talk of the town when rumors of a steamy affair on set in Africa with Clark Gable started making its rounds. No matter how ‘steamy’ the rumored affair could have been, it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing to happen to Hollywood’s Ice Princess.
Grace Kelly and many rumored affairs
As Hollywood’s darling, Grace Kelly had no shortage of admirers, both famous and not. She caught everyone’s attention in films like To Catch a Thief, High Society, Mogambo, Dial M for Murder, and The Country Girl. With that attention came several rumored affairs with big names, including William Holden, Ray Milland, Gay Cooper, Oleg Cassini, Bing Crosby, and Clark Gable.
According to The New Yorker, some affairs didn’t happen, despite rumors that say otherwise. “Contrary to what you may have heard, [Kelly] did not have an affair [with] the star and the director, respectively, of High Noon, Cooper and Fred Zinnemann (‘not a shred of evidence to support either rumor,’ [Donald] Spoto writes [in his book]), Ray Milland (‘no one connected to Dial M for Murder was aware of or spoke about any intrigue’), Bing Crosby, and, most impressive of all, Clark Gable, on Mogambo.”
With that being said, Grace Kelly did suggest otherwise in an interview, where she spoke about Clark Gable and being on set with him in Africa.
What she reportedly said about having an affair with Clark Gable
Among her many rumored love affairs, Grace Kelly spoke of one in particular. She never came out and directly admitted, “yes, we had sex,” but her words certainly implied it. There was even a suggestive bit, hinting at much more if things were different. As far as ‘juicy’ gossip goes, what Grace Kelly reportedly said (but didn’t actually say) about having an affair with Clark Gable, was at the top of the list.
“She would have an affair with Clark Gable while filming Mogambo, leading her to quip: ‘What else is there to do if you’re alone in a tent in Africa with Clark Gable?'” The Guardian reported. “Later she told an interviewer that ‘if there hadn’t been so much of an age discrepancy things might have been different.'” Fortunately, there was an age difference because Grace Kelly’s future had way bigger plans than marrying an American film actor.
Kelly’s whirlwind romance that led to her becoming royalty
It came as a shock to many people when news came out that everyone’s beloved actress was getting cozy with foreign-royalty by the name of Prince Rainier III of Monaco. It was a story right out of every little girl’s fairy tale – an American girl gets swept off her feet by a prince and becomes a Princess soon after.
Biography.com reports the whirlwind romance began with “a chance encounter on a French train” that would turn into a royal story for the books. The train had several big names on it, but it was Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco who met, fell in love, got married, and later added three more royal additions to the Grimaldi family.
According to a British Pathe documentary, the royal wedding was well-received by Monaco citizens who were in fear of becoming Fringe territory if the groom died without an heir. “It’s not often a film stars marriage affects a map of Europe, but this one may, and that’s why the flags are out,” the narrator reported. “Now that their prince is getting married, they feel a lot safer.”
It seems some fairy tales do come true, as an American actress found love with a foreign-born prince and married into royalty shortly after. It would be the end of her acting career and ‘steamy’ affairs, but it would be the beginning of a new royal role as the Princess of Monaco.
