Julia Arnaz: Inside the Life of Lucille Balls Granddaughter Who Recently Lost Her Only Child
Desi Arnaz Jr. is a Hollywood actor and musician. He's the son of two well-known names in Hollywood, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Desi Arnaz Jr. is a father of two, and his daughter Julia Arnaz is Lucille Ball's granddaughter.
Desi Arnaz Jr. is an American actor who got his first role at the age of four in his parents' popular show "I Love Lucy." The show first aired in the early 50s and won five Emmy awards.
Coming from such a famous family and with such talented parents, it's no surprise that Desi also pursued a career in acting. The father of two had his first daughter Julia Arnaz during his relationship with Susan Callahan-Howe.
Julia Arnaz was born when her father, Desi Arnaz Jr., was just 15 years old. Inside the life of Julia Arnaz, Lucille Ball's granddaughter.
WHO IS JULIA ARNAZ, DESI ARNAZ JR.'S DAUGHTER?
Julia Arnaz is Desi Arnaz Jr.'s first daughter. The actor and musician had his first child with model Susan Callahan-Howe.
Julia's father reportedly didn't have a relationship with his firstborn until years after her birth. Her mother, Susan Callahan-Howe, raised her.
Her mom often told her while growing up that she comes from a famous family in Hollywood. Her mom Susan said Lucille was her grandmother, but Julia didn't know the well-known actress.
Julia also didn't know her father until she was 20 years old. After her grandmother Lucille Ball's death, she decided to do a DNA test to find out whether she was really Desi Arnaz Jr.'s offspring.
Talking to Page Six in 2021, Julia explained how she learned the truth about who she was by taking a DNA test when she was 20 years old. According to her, the results returned 99.97% and showed that Desi was her father.
Soon after it was proven that Julia was Desi's daughter, Lucille Ball's granddaughter said she started having a relationship with her father. Desi could have refused to have a relationship with her since he never knew about her, but he didn't. Julia said her father helped her through a lot in her life.
JULIA ARNAZ LOST HER ONLY DAUGHTER TO BREAST CANCER: WHO WAS DESIREE ANZALONE?
Julia Arnaz gave birth to her daughter Desiree Anzalone on September 15, 1989. She had her only child during her relationship with Mario Anzalone.
Lucille Ball's granddaughter tragically lost her child Desiree in late September 2020. Desiree died at 31 after battling stage 4 cancer.
The grieving mother opened up about the loss of her "special" daughter during an interview with People in 2020. Julia said:
"Watching her slip away was just, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. No mother should have to watch that."
She described how close the mother and daughter were and said that they were best friends, calling Desiree "my mini-me." She expressed:
"She was so special. She was so beautiful, just so so beautiful inside and out."
Julia's daughter was a photographer and was close to her great-grandfather. Desiree was first diagnosed with breast cancer in her mid-twenties and got a double mastectomy after undergoing chemotherapy.
Desiree learned in 2018 that she had stage 4 cancer after being in remission. Sadly, cancer had spread to different organs, and her mother, Julia, said she would have lived a few more years if it hadn't spread.
Julia has since become an advocate for the early detection of breast cancer. She revealed in 2021 that she was determined to increase coverage of mammograms for women in Connecticut to help others like her daughter.
Lucille Ball's granddaughter revealed that it's crucial for people to know that it's possible to be diagnosed with cancer at a young age as it's "not talked about a lot."
Julia also said her daughter was "a rare case," so she aims to help younger women prevent what happened to her daughter Desiree by going for mammograms early.
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