Love Story fact vs fiction: How accurate is the depiction of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's romance - after Daryl Hannah hit out over 'untrue' storyline

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Ryan Murphy's Love Story has prompted a wave of questions from fans wondering how accurate the series is.

The FX show's opening credits say it's 'inspired' by true events, but that some have been fictionalised – with viewers left questioning what they should and shouldn't believe.

The nine-part drama follows John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn Bessette's (Sarah Pidgeon) relationship, from the two meeting at a party to the deaths of the couple and her sister Lauren Bessette (Sydney Lemmon) on July 16, 1999. 

It also chronicled JFK Jr.'s five-year romance with Daryl Hannah (Dree Hemingway), who has refuted her portrayal in the series and publicly denounced the show.

JFK Jr.'s cousin Douglas Kennedy has come out in defense of Daryl, claiming the show is a 'misrepresentation' of the actress. He is the tenth child of Robert F. Kennedy and wife Ethel, who is also featured in the scripted show. 

The series also unpicks JFK Jr.'s complicated relationship with his mother Jackie O (Naomi Watts) and sister Caroline Kennedy (Grace Gummer).

Now, as the series comes to an end, the Daily Mail reveals what parts of Love Story were changed, dramatised or left out entirely. 

What went on between JFK Jr and Daryl Hannah? 

JFK Jr. and Hollywood actress Daryl were romantically involved from 1988 to 1994.

Daryl first met JFK Jr. in the early 1980s while their respective families were both on vacation in Saint Martin in the Caribbean. 

At the time, she was establishing herself as an up-and-coming star with movies such as Blade Runner (1982), Splash (1984) and crime drama The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) with Mickey Rourke. 

The former couple were widely pictured at glamorous events together and attracted huge public interest at the time. 

Daryl has accused the show of portraying her as 'irritating, self-absorbed, whiny and inappropriate' and insisted that it was 'not even a remotely accurate representation of her life, her conduct or her relationship with John'.

In an explosive new essay written for the New York Times, she began: 'I have generally chosen not to respond to media coverage of me. I have long believed that engaging with distortion often amplifies it.

'But a recent tragedy-exploiting television series about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette features a character using my name and presents her as me.

'The choice to portray her as irritating, self-absorbed, whiny and inappropriate was no accident.

'Storytelling requires tension. It often requires an obstacle. But a real, living person is not a narrative device,' she continued.

'There is also a gendered dimension to this thinking. Popular culture has long elevated certain women by portraying others as rivals, obstacles or villains. Isn't it textbook misogyny to tear down one woman in order to build up another?

'The character Daryl Hannah portrayed in the series is not even a remotely accurate representation of my life, my conduct or my relationship with John.'

In the show, Daryl is seen doing cocaine on numerous occasions, with Vogue describing her character as a 'whiny, coke-obsessed prima donna' in one review.

Hannah insisted that the 'actions and behaviors attributed to her are untrue' and insisted that she has 'never used cocaine in her life or hosted cocaine-fueled parties.'

'I have never pressured anyone into marriage. I have never desecrated any family heirloom or intruded upon anyone's private memorial,' she added, addressing other moments from the show.

'I have never planted any story in the press. I never compared Jacqueline Onassis' death to a dog's.

'It's appalling to me that I even have to defend myself against a television show. These are not creative embellishments of personality. They are assertions about conduct – and they are false.'

The actress noted that the show's 'dramatization' has 'real-life consequences' and claimed she had received 'many hostile and even threatening messages from viewers who seem to believe the portrayal is factual'.

Did Jackie Onassis really dislike Daryl?

The narrative that Jackie Kennedy Onassis despised Daryl is allegedly untrue.

Love Story portrays Jackie, JFK Jr. and his sister Caroline constantly arguing over Daryl being unwelcome in the family.

In a vital scene, Jackie even snubs a family dinner when Daryl is in attendance, giving the excuse that she felt unwell.

While there is no first person testimony from JFK Jr. and Jackie, a friend of the family spoke out on the alleged feud in his biography.

Jim Hart said Jackie wasn't a fan of the relationship because Daryl was an actress.

He added: 'It wasn't like she hated Daryl at all, she just didn't want her son marrying an actress – it kind of was that simple. 

'There was no great animosity, but she was always talking about, "What do you think of Daryl? Do you think that's right for John?"'

It has also been claimed that Daryl's mother once told People magazine that her daughter's relationship with Jackie was positive.

'Daryl told me [Jackie] has been very warm and affectionate,' the mother recalled.

Daryl previously refuted claims she didn't get on well with Jackie on Howard Stern's radio show in 2004. 

In a clip shared on Reddit, she's heard saying: 'It's just not true. People just don't know necessarily why we broke up, so people speculate, and then, I guess, that's the only kind of idea they could come up with. 

'And it gets repeated over and over, and then it becomes accepted as truth. It has no bearing on reality whatsoever.

'I had a really great relationship with her. I won't go into some of the more personal details.' 

Did Daryl's dog get run over?

In real life, Daryl's dog did in fact get run over after being hit by a car – albeit in Central Park and not Tribeca.

In the show when JFK Jr. is walking Daryl's dog in New York City, he loses control of the leash.

The programme then shows JFK Jr. and Daryl were not on speaking terms after briefly deciding to split up. 

Like the series depicts, JFK Jr. flew the ashes to Daryl in Los Angeles and had to rush back when his mother Jackie O's health took a turn for the worse.

'So he goes out there to bury the dog,' his friend, Sasha Chermayeff, recalled in An Intimate Oral Biography. 

'And while he's out there, his mum has a dramatic turn for the worse. He was deeply resentful that Daryl dragged him out there to attend a funeral for her dog when his mother was dying of cancer.' 

What actually happened between JFK Jr. and Carolyn? 

Carolyn and John Jr., the son of the late 35th President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, first met in 1992 when he was dating actress Daryl.

Two years later, he and Carolyn began their own romance.

In 1995, the couple became engaged and secretly tied the knot the following year in September 1996, with an intimate candlelit ceremony on Cumberland Island, Georgia.

The intense media spotlight only grew after their nuptials and just three years later, tragedy struck.

On July 16, 1999, Carolyn, JFK Jr., and her sister Lauren died when their plane crashed off Martha's Vineyard.

Investigators concluded JFK Jr. lost control of the aircraft. Their bodies were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean five days later.

Was there a fight in the park? 

The images of JFK Jr. and his then-fiancée Carolyn locked in a heated argument at a New York City park remain among the most explosive celebrity paparazzi shots ever published.

Angie Coqueran had taken photographs that would go on to gross an estimated $7million – and permanently alter how the public saw America's 'golden couple.' 

For Angie, now 68 and retired, every new documentary or dramatisation of the couple's fight pulls her straight back to that day. Read the scandalous new details about the fight here.

JFK Jr.'s Tribeca loft was one of the spots she checked out regularly. 

After breakfast John, then 36, and Carolyn, then 30, walked with their dog down from Tribeca to Battery Park.

Angie went into a public restroom and got in place to take pics of the somber couple sitting on a bench, reading the paper. What followed was a brief but volatile altercation.

Some of the images show John's hand dangerously close to Carolyn's face, with others capturing him tearing the engagement ring off her finger. 

Afterwards, the couple sat next to each other on a bench in silence. As they left the park, Coqueran heard John tell Carolyn: 'I don't even know her… I don't know what you're talking about.'

Moments later, John could be seen sitting alone on a curb with his head tucked into his arms, distraught.

After another brief exchange, the couple were seen hugging, with Carolyn, tears running down her face, clutching a cigarette.

The storm had passed. The couple went on to get married seven months later.

Did JFK Jr. date Madonna?

His movie star looks and impeccable pedigree saw him lauded as the world's most eligible bachelor.

But it was solidly-middle class Carolyn, the daughter of a teacher and engineer, who ended up marrying him.

Before Carolyn, he was linked to a string of stars including Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker.

JFK Jr., who was once dubbed the sexiest man alive, reportedly began seeing the Material Girl singer in 1988 after the breakdown of her marriage to actor Sean Penn. 

In the book The Good Son: JFK Jr. and the Mother He Loved, author Christopher Andersen tells how Madonna 'went after' JFK Jr., telling friends she believed an affair with him 'would be nothing less than cosmic'. 

The book also quotes dancer Erika Belle, one of Madonna's closest friends at the time, who claims JFK Jr. was equally keen.

She said: 'You could see it in his eyes that first time they met. John was totally in awe.'

JFK Jr. and Madonna would reportedly meet at a health club where they shared the same trainer and would occasionally jog around Central Park together in the early morning.

While they managed to keep their relationship secret from the media, JFK Jr. was not said to have been shy about introducing the singer to his mother.

Did Carolyn date an underwear model?

Before she struck up a romance with JFK Jr., Carolyn dated Calvin Klein underwear model Michael Bergin.

Michael was one of the shirtless hunks who starred alongside Pamela Anderson and Nicole Eggert on the lifeguard show Baywatch.

Michael replaced Mark Wahlberg as Calvin Klein's underwear model in the 1990s.

He did runway work too in New York City, Paris and Milan.

He worked for Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent and Donna Karan and was the exclusive model for Claiborne for Men, a division of Liz Claiborne, Inc., for over three years.

He has also appeared in commercials and print advertisements for Maybelline, Coty and Perry Ellis.

Did Carolyn discover Kate Moss?

In the first episode of Love Story, Carolyn and her boss Calvin Klein were trying to decide who would be best fit for the Calvin Klein 'Obsession' underwear campaign.

After flicking through hundreds of models, Carolyn had her eyes set on Kate Moss. Carolyn was behind Kate's big modelling break.

Indeed, Kate fronted the famous underwear campaign in 1993.

Kate walked her first runway in 1992 at the Dolce & Gabbana show in Milan. 

According to Maureen Callahan's book Champagne Supernovas, per Town and Country, Carolyn and the brand's art director Fabien Baron convinced Calvin to take a chance on Kate for what would become the project that launched her to international stardom.

Where did JFK Jr. and Carolyn meet? 

In the series, Carolyn's boss Calvin Klein (Alessandro Nivola) introduces JFK Jr. and Carolyn at a fundraiser in 1992.

The pair locked eyes and instantly connected, portraying Calvin as the ultimate matchmaker.

While the real way the couple met is not explicitly known, friends have maintained that they met at a fundraiser.

Meanwhile, in Elizabeth Beller's 2024 book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, she claims the pair met on the sales floor.

Did Carolyn decline JFK Jr.'s proposal at first?

The series depicts that Carolyn originally declined JFK Jr.'s proposal when he caught her off guard and got down on one knee on his aunt's fishing boat.

It's true – in 1995 during the Fourth of July weekend, JFK Jr. presented Carolyn with a diamond and sapphire eternity band.

Though it wasn't his mother's actual ring like the series portrays – it was a design similar to one she owned and called her 'swimming ring'.

Like Love Story portrays, Carolyn did not accept the proposal at first and told JFK Jr. she would need to think about it.

A close friend of the George magazine founder told People in 2017: 'She held the proposal off for about three weeks, which I think just made him all the more intent on marrying her.'

It's reported Carolyn finally said 'yes' in late July or early August that same year. Love Story created the narrative that Carolyn declined over fears she wouldn't be able to deal with the public attention.

JFK Jr.'s former assistant RoseMarie Terenzio wrote in her 2012 memoir: 'She understood that the formality meant something, especially to John and his lifestyle. I actually think that made John even more eager to marry her.'

Similar to the movie, the couple denied rumours when the New York Post published a story 'JFK Jr. pops the question' in September 1995.  

'It’s not true. Once again, John Kennedy seems to be bearing the brunt of a slow news day', a statement from JFK Jr. read.

Love Story framed the storyline as JFK Jr.'s way to keep press attention away from the couple as he didn't want to overshadow his George magazine launch that month.

What happened with the plane crash? 

Friends claimed Carolyn and JFK Jr. were having serious marital problems and predict the marriage would likely have ended were it not for the crash that claimed their lives.

JFK Jr. was flying the small Piper Saratoga plane at the time with his inexperience as a pilot blamed for the tragedy.

He likely became disorientated while flying at night, with the plane crashing into the Atlantic off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.

Other pilots flying in the area that night said the horizon was impossible to see because of hazy weather.

The bodies of JFK Jr., Carolyn and Lauren were found five days later, cremated and then buried at sea the following day.

Some 27 years on, the mystery only continues to grow.