In 1994, just months before her passing, Hollywood icon Lana Turner revealed a deeply personal and shocking secret in a private conversation with journalist Florence Wagner.

Recorded on a cassette tape that remained hidden for decades before leaking in 2023, Turner confessed a truth few could have imagined: she had loved eight women in her lifetime—and every one of them left her with a profound sense of self-loathing.

This revelation stunned those who knew Turner as one of Hollywood’s most dazzling sex symbols, a woman who had captivated powerful film producers and even presidents.

Even more astonishing was the fact that the seven women she named as her secret lovers were themselves legendary actresses, celebrated as the epitome of ideal femininity in American cinema.

Today, we delve into the lives and relationships of these seven starlets who walked through Lana Turner’s life—women she loved passionately but ultimately came to despise.

 

Lana Turner’s first love was not a man but Barbara Stanwyck.

Their affair began in September 1941 at the Paramount lot, when Lana was just 20 years old and newly cast as a lead after her success in *Ziegfeld Girl*.

Barbara, aloof and cold, entered the room without knocking, her demeanor icy and distant.

Lana, captivated by Barbara’s pride and independence, believed she was special.

However, Barbara never truly loved anyone. She used people as pawns, and Lana was no exception.

Barbara was a public lover meant to quell rumors about Lana’s failed marriage while simultaneously covering her own secret life with a married producer.

Their relationship spiraled into drug use and alcoholism, culminating in a nervous breakdown for Lana.

The studio intervened, forcing Lana to sign a morality clause forbidding intimate relations with female colleagues without approval, effectively controlling her personal life.

 

Greta Garbo, an enigmatic icon of the 1930s, began a secret affair with Lana in 1946 after Lana’s recovery from her breakdown.

Their relationship was shrouded in mystery, centered around Garbo’s secluded mansion where no clocks or natural light disturbed the eerie silence.

 

The relationship soon turned obsessive. Lana discovered hidden cameras recording her in private moments, and the studio forced her to sign another morality agreement banning same-sex relationships.

Worse still, Lana realized she was just one in a long line of women Garbo kept, never truly loving any of them.

Lana later described herself as a “repeated scene” in Garbo’s life, a painful realization that deepened her emotional scars.

 

Tallulah Bankhead introduced Lana to a world of underground female artists and a sense of liberation.

Their affair began in 1948, and for the first time, Lana felt free to be herself.

Yet, this freedom was cruelly shattered at a Hollywood party when Tallulah publicly humiliated Lana by presenting her with an iron bathroom keychain, mocking their relationship as nothing more than a joke.

 

The laughter that followed was merciless, and Lana was left devastated and isolated.

Tallulah’s subsequent public statement hinted at the loneliness of Hollywood’s women but offered no solace to Lana, who never spoke of the incident again except to reflect bitterly on the lessons of love and betrayal.

 

Anne Sheridan appeared as a comforting figure to Lana during a difficult period after her third divorce.

Their secret meetings in a rented penthouse were recorded without Lana’s knowledge.

The tapes and private letters were later used to blackmail her, threatening to expose a lesbian affair that could end her career.

The fallout was severe: Lana was cut from a film, contracts were frozen, and she attempted suicide.

Anne, meanwhile, publicly smiled beside a producer, clearly benefiting from the scandal.

This betrayal marked one of the darkest chapters in Lana’s life, highlighting the precariousness of being a woman and an actress in Hollywood’s ruthless environment.

 

Marlene Dietrich’s return to the U.S.in 1950 brought a glamorous but dangerous liaison.

Lana was drawn into Marlene’s left-leaning intellectual circle and offered a lucrative film contract orchestrated by Dietrich herself.

However, this relationship was a calculated move by Marlene to regain fame by attaching herself to a fading starlet.

 

When a scandal broke linking Lana to pro-Soviet groups, Marlene abandoned her, leaving Lana to face the House Un-American Activities Committee alone.

The betrayal was devastating, forcing Lana into hiding and contemplating exile. Marlene’s manipulation underscored the intersection of politics and personal relationships in Cold War Hollywood.

Joan Crawford’s involvement with Lana was marked by cruelty disguised as mentorship.

Inviting Lana to intimate dinners and gifting her gowns, Joan appeared supportive but secretly sabotaged Lana’s career.

She forced Lana to perform a same-sex kiss on camera, a scene not in the script, which was then leaked to the press to ruin Lana’s reputation.

 

Joan’s public image remained untarnished while Lana suffered the fallout alone.

Behind the scenes, Joan controlled careers like a shadow producer, using Lana as a pawn in her quest for power.

This toxic relationship left Lana isolated and nearly broken, yet she survived by retreating from the spotlight.

 

Gene Tierney’s affair with Lana was the most enduring but also the most damaging. Meeting in 1955, their relationship was secret and marked by tragedy.

Gene convinced Lana to invest $75,000 in a fraudulent film company, resulting in Lana’s blacklisting and financial ruin.

The scandal destroyed Lana’s career prospects and left her hospitalized with nervous exhaustion.

Despite an FBI investigation clearing her of wrongdoing, Lana carried the burden of betrayal and silence for the rest of her life.

Gene’s duplicity haunted Lana, who vowed never to love another woman again.

 

In the last surviving recording, Lana spoke of Ava Gardner, a lover who ignited desire but ultimately became an escape.

Their affair was passionate but unstable, ending with Ava abandoning Lana amid rumors and scandal.

Lana described Ava as “the spotlight itself blazing down on me in the dark,” a metaphor for the painful loneliness behind the glamour.

 

Lana Turner’s secret relationships with these seven legendary actresses reveal a hidden side of Hollywood’s golden age—one of passion, betrayal, manipulation, and heartbreak.

Each woman left a unique scar, but all contributed to Lana’s profound sense of hatred and self-despair.

For decades, these stories were buried beneath layers of powder and rouge, concealed by a Hollywood desperate to maintain its illusions.

Thanks to the leaked tape, the truth has finally come to light, offering a poignant reminder of the human cost behind the silver screen’s glittering facade.

 

What do you think of Lana Turner’s list of lovers? Were you surprised by any names? These revelations invite us to reconsider the complex lives of classic Hollywood’s most iconic women, who loved fiercely but often suffered in silence.

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