Bruce Jenner first got married in 1972, to his college sweetheart. He was 23. Chrystie Crownover worked as a stewardess while Bruce trained for the 1976 decathlon in Montreal. When he was awarded the gold medal, Bruce kissed Chrystie and told the world, “We won!” But right before the birth of their second child, Jenner said he wanted a divorce. He was in love with someone else–Linda Thompson, former longtime girlfriend of Elvis Presley. The very same week the divorce with Crownover went through in 1982, Jenner married Thompson.
Just days after Jenner’s second marriage, Crownover spoke with People magazine. She said of Jenner and their divorce, “It was painful for him—and for me too. It was such a feeling of rejection. He told me it was not me, it was self-imposed.” She added, “Had it not been for the demands of our new wealth and our concern over what people were thinking, our marriage might have had a better chance…Now he has achieved a certain public status and has a power with other people that is very alluring. You don’t get money and fame without paying for it, with time or with your soul.”
