Raquel Welch married four times: to James Welch, Patrick Curtis, André Weinfeld and Richard Palmer. Her public comments include regret about not giving her first marriage more of a chance and a joke about still learning after four marriages. The available record establishes the broad timeline, but not a complete explanation for why each relationship ended.
Raquel Welch’s marriage timeline
The chronology below is reported by CBS News and The Washington Post. Welch’s first husband was her high-school sweetheart; the later husbands had public careers in entertainment or business.
| Husband | Reported dates and outcome | Documented context |
|---|---|---|
| James Welch | Married in 1959; divorced in 1964 | Her high-school sweetheart and the father of her two children, Damon and Tahnee. She kept the Welch surname professionally. |
| Patrick Curtis | Married in 1967; divorced in 1972 | A press agent and producer who also became her business partner. |
| André Weinfeld | Married in 1980; divorced in 1990 | A French writer-producer. A 1981 Washington Post profile covered their wedding and recorded their comments about it. |
| Richard Palmer | Married in 1999; separated in 2003; later divorced | A restaurateur. The reports cited here do not establish the precise date the divorce became final. |
What Welch said about her marriages
She regretted not giving her first marriage more of a chance
In a 2011 AARP interview, Welch said of her marriage to James, “I regret that I didn’t give that marriage more of a chance.” It was a reflection on how she viewed the relationship later; it does not establish that the marriage would have succeeded if she had made a different choice.
She joked about marrying four times
In a 2012 CBS Los Angeles interview, later recalled by CBS News, Welch quipped: “What can I say, I’ve been married four times and I still didn’t get it right. I’m learning.” The remark was self-deprecating, not a detailed account of the circumstances behind the divorces.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
She joked about wedding locations with Weinfeld
A contemporaneous 1981 Washington Post profile described a light exchange about where to marry. When Weinfeld ruled out Las Vegas, Welch replied, “Oh God, I got married there once, too,” then agreed with his joke that Los Angeles was boring.
Her reflections on romance and her childhood
Welch also wrote about her parents’ relationship in her 2010 memoir, Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage. As quoted by The Washington Post, she recalled: “There was no cuddling or lovey-dovey stuff happening, even between Mom and Dad,” and, “I don’t recall ever seeing him kiss her or hold her hand. I was left hungry for a taste of tenderness and romance from an early age.” These are her recollections of childhood, not proof that her parents’ relationship caused the course of her own marriages.
Rank #2
What the public record does—and does not—show
The reported dates establish four marriages and their broad outcomes. Welch’s quoted remarks offer a few personal reflections, especially about her first marriage, but they do not amount to a full explanation of why each marriage ended. The available reporting does not consistently corroborate private reasons for all four divorces, so claims that assign a single cause to any of them would go beyond this record.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
