Before fate brought them together, they were in several failed relationships. Izabella Wilczyńska’s first love was a young cadet she met before the outbreak of the war. Later, she became involved with Bronisław Troński, a colleague from the conspiracy. Although they married and had a son, the relationship did not stand the test of time and ended in divorce after 20 years. The love life of Andrzej Szalawski, who had two failed marriages, was similar.
She was 43, he was 51. Wilczyńska and Szalawski fell madly in love with each other
In July 1963, Izabella Wilczyńska went to Szczawnica, where she was to take part in a health camp. It so happened that Andrzej Szalawski was also in the mountain town at the same time. – I knew him from the screen, from the movie “Teutonic Knights”, and I had never seen him in civilian clothes, so I joked, telling my friend that he probably looked like an old fart – in one of the interviews. – I remember my friend wagging her finger at me, saying: “Oh, Izunia, be careful… He’s also lonely,” she said.
However, she did not expect that they would be able to do so. This was decided by a case straight from a romantic comedy. It all happened in the canteen of the guesthouse where they were both staying. The actress enjoyed coffee and a moment of rest. When Szalawski passed by her table, he accidentally hit it. Then some coins fell out of his pocket and Wilczyńska hurriedly started collecting them, and that’s how it all started.
They were married for 23 years. She couldn’t come to terms with his death for a long time
Seemingly, their relationship developed quickly, because when they left Szczawnica they were already a couple, but Wilczyńska kept her new lover at a distance for some time. She was 43 years old at the time and did not want to get involved in a relationship with a man who did not share her vision of the future. However, these fears turned out to be unfounded, because they both wanted the same thing. After two months of dating, they moved in together, even though Szalawski still had not divorced his second wife. Shortly afterwards, they left for Gdańsk to join the cast of the Wybrzeże Theater.
They lived hand-to-mouth until 1967, only then did he get a divorce, so they could get married. They unanimously declared that this was the love they had been waiting for all their lives. The artist was the greatest support for her beloved and she supported him in his fight for justice, which was exhausting for Szalawski. For over four decades he tried to prove his innocence in connection with accusations of collaboration with the Germans. It was claimed, among other things, that during the occupation, street loudspeakers, the so-called barking, reading out the names of Poles sentenced to death. However, he failed to prove his innocence before his death, which occurred unexpectedly due to a stroke on October 11, 1986. During the funeral at Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw, the distraught Wilczyńska forbade placing a cross on his grave. Although many were outraged by this fact, she did not pay attention to it, explaining that “almost all his life he carried his own cross on his shoulders and he did not want its shadow to fall on him after death.”
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
