Ann-Margret Cared for Husband Who Couldn’t Walk – She Struggled for 13 Years to Get Pregnant Though He Made Her a Mom

• Ann-Margret experienced a beautiful love story, which lasted 50 years with the death of her husband.
• She tried having kids of her own for 13 years but settled on being a stepmom to her husband’s three kids.
• When her husband couldn’t walk due to health issues, Ann-Margret became an “amazing nurse” to him; she put her career on pause to take care of him.

Actress and singer Ann-Margret and her late husband Roger Smith were totally devoted to each other, having been married for 50 years.

The couple got married in 1967 and remained in their happy union until Smith died on June 4, 2017, after battling myasthenia gravis for many years.

Before Ann-Margret married Smith, she dated Elvis Presley, a singer, and costar in “Viva Las Vegas.” Presley and the singer remained friends until he died.

After she resumed her career when Smith died, Ann-Margret chose not to include the songs Presley made famous in her album. She noted:

“I decided not to. Everyone knows how I felt about him and the friendship that we had all these years. It was very, very private.”

When Smith died, Ann-Margret mourned him, but she also fondly recalled the life they made together. “I knew I was going to marry him on the third date,” she revealed.

After getting married, the couple was inseparable and couldn’t stand being on film sets on the opposite ends of the country. Eventually, Smith became her manager to ensure they would always be together. The “Swinger” singer also said:

“Now, in Roger, I’ve found all the men I need rolled into one-a father, a friend, a lover, a manager, a businessman. It’s perfect for me. I couldn’t exist without a strong man.”

Smith was a great manager to her as he helped her grow beyond the image of a cartoon character that critics had of her. Due to his efforts, Ann-Margret landed challenging parts in “Carnal Knowledge” and “Tommy,” which earned her critical acclaim and recognition from award-show voters.

The actress went on to feature in great movies such as “Grumpy Old Men,” and she had a guest appearance in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which earned her an Emmy.

Smith once revealed in an interview that he had a dream of costarring with his wife on a Broadway play after she left the movies. Unfortunately, the duo never fulfilled this dream.

Ann-Margret also supported Smith in his personal life. When Smith was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis and Parkinson’s disease, the actress pressed pause on her career. She said:

“I kept saying no, no, no to everything because I was taking care of him. If you’re a spouse, if one of you has a broken wing, the other takes over.”

A person close to Ann-Margret revealed that the actress was an “amazing nurse” to her husband during the time leading to his death.

After Smith succumbed to the illness, Ann-Margret noted that she was grateful for all the years she shared with Smith:

“When I look back at my life, I am most proud of my marriage…We both wanted it to work. And it did work. We were together night and day. We loved each other and were always in each other’s corner.”

Before Smith died, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. A source revealed that Smith really wanted to reach the 50th mark with his loving wife.

As per Ann-Margret’s close friend, the actress still held her husband dear even after he died. “To her, a great love story doesn’t end with death. You carry their spirit with you,” the friend disclosed.

Ann-Margret and her husband faced several challenges in their decades-long marriage, but they remained united through it all.

Ann-Margret tried to get pregnant for 13 years. She revealed that she used a fertility pump and an experimental device that injected into her stomach a hormone to aid ovulation.

The actress is attempting to move on with her life by being busy with her career, but she still lives in the same Los Angeles home she bought with Smith.

Smith had three children of his own, but the actress also wanted to have her biological children. She said:

“The point is, if I am meant to have a child, I will have one. Whatever my higher power feels is right for me, I will accept. I know this may sound simplistic, but I believe in the serenity prayer.”

Ann Margret prayed to God to give her the serenity to accept things she could not change, the courage to change the things she could, and the wisdom to know the difference.

After trying unsuccessfully to conceive for 13 years, the actress gave up on the hormone-inducing situation and settled to being a stepmother of Smith’s three kids. She noted that this was her most favorite role of all that she had played.

The 82-year-old said she became a disciplinarian stepmother who taught her step-kids to be respectful just as her parents had trained her:

“I met them when they were 3, 6, and 7, and now they’re not. Two of them are doctors. Well, I don’t want to get into that because it’s very, very private.”

After Smith died, “The Train Robbers” star mourned him, and amidst the pain, she attempts to move on by focusing on her passions and talents.

In her 80s, Ann-Margret is a jovial woman who resumed her career after her husband died and went on to be busy. The actress finished recording a new album of the 60s hits called “Born to Be Wild.”

She revealed that she hadn’t done an album in 50 years, but she had so much fun creating her latest one.

The actress is attempting to move on with her life by being busy with her career, but she still lives in the same Los Angeles home she bought with Smith.

Despite trying to keep herself happy and busy, Ann-Margret revealed that grieving had made her lose interest in some of the pastimes she used to share with her husband, such as Skiing. However, she hoped to return to the slopes soon.

The actress has already gone back to the big screens, and she has been featured in movies such as “Never Too Late” and “Queen Bees.” She noted:

“You’re not dead when you reach a certain age. You have to keep living and not sit at home and watch TV alone. You have to participate.”

The “Going in Style” star has also kept a group of close friends that includes people she worked with over the years. She noted that together with her friends, they have an informal walking group. The actress revealed:

“On Monday, there might be three of us. Another day, there might be 15. We go to a different place every weekend to walk. I’m excited to go.”

Nowadays, Ann-Margret spends her personal time with her cat, Harley, who she said was 18 years old and is always with her as he sleeps with her every night.