Ann Shirley met John Payne at a cocktail party at Lee Bowman`s house, the best friend of Payne. Shirley and Payne got married two months later after this meeting in August of 1937. Their daughter, Julie Anne Payne, was born on August 10, 1940. Marital trouble was brewing in the Payne household at this time. John and buddy Lee Bowman were away on fishing trips a lot, and Payne also liked night clubbing. Anne, a devoted mother, preferred to entertain friends at home. On January 30, 1942 she filed for divorce which became final on March 1, 1943. Rumors of an affair between John and Lynn Bari, while Sun Valley Serenade was being filmed, also contributed to their parting. Payne tried many times to seek a reconciliation and was said to be in tears when Anne left him. At this point Anne wrote: “I had never been on my own before John and I parted, and I’ve found it a lot of fun being entirely free and independent.”
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