6. George Eliot died married to a man 20 years younger than her and theirs was the ultimate rebound relationship
For more than 20 years, Mary Anne Evans, better known by her pen name George Eliot, was in a happy and loving relationship with the philosopher George Henry Lewes. Theirs was a relationship of equals, and Lewes supported Eliot as she became one of England’s finest writers. The only problem was, Lewes was already married, albeit in an open marriage. From 1854, they lived together, and Eliot even called herself Mrs Lewes. But they couldn’t get properly wed. That’s why, when Lewes died in 1878, Eliot needed expert legal help to inherit his money. She turned to John Cross, 20 years her junior.
Before long, Eliot had agreed to marry Cross. Despite the sizable age difference, her family approved of the union, especially her brothers who had been vehemently opposed to her ‘immoral’ relationship with Lewes. However, it was far from a happy marriage. Famously, on their honeymoon in Venice, Cross threw himself out of their hotel room window and into the Grand Canal. He survived, though never revealed what led him to attempt suicide just days after getting wed. In all, Eliot’s marriage to Cross lasted just seven months, up until her death in December of 1880.