Desi Arnaz had an affair with an iconic pin-up girl that had Lucille Ball fuming

Since the release of the new biography Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television, many revelations about Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball’s relationship have come forward. There was the story about how the I Love Lucy stars accidentally voided their divorce, and the story about how Arnaz went behind Ball’s back to name their daughter Lucie.

The book also revealed that Arnaz partook in extramarital affairs, as many wealthy, powerful men in Hollywood do. In fact, his relationship with Ball was initially an affair itself. When the legendary couple started dating, both were already dating someone else. He was with a dancer named Renee De Marco, while she was engaged to a director named Al Hall.

While they got married shortly after meeting, Arnaz’s biographer Todd S. Purdum wrote (via People) that the Cuban superstar had several “sometimes girlfriends,” and that Ball was aware of his proclivities. But it was one of Arnaz’s particular “sometimes girlfriends” that sent the renowned redhead into a blind rage.

According to Purdum, Arnaz had a rendezvous with iconic Hollywood actress and pin-up girl Betty Grable. When Ball found out about his infidelity with the How to Marry a Millionaire star, she exploded.

“When she got wind of this,” Purdum wrote, “she drove to the house he now shared with his mother on Wilcox Avenue in Hollywood, barged past Lolita [Arnaz’s mom, who lived at his home] at the front door, and excoriated Desi, who was still in bed, as a two-timing bastard — all with Lolita in earshot.”

“Jealous outbursts and bitter arguments” were reportedly a hallmark of their relationship, which ultimately led to its demise. Despite obviously feeling some type of way in private, Ball appeared unbothered in public. Purdum wrote that when a reporter once asked her about Arnaz’s alleged infidelity, she coyly quipped, “I like to play games, too.”