While FX's new series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette was expected to explore the high-profile relationship, it also touches upon the lost romance between John F Kennedy and Daryl Hannah.

The choice was deliberate. Before the polished Calvin Klein publicist who would become his wife, John F. Kennedy Jr. spent five turbulent years with actress Daryl Hannah. And hovering quietly over that relationship was his mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who was protective of her son, according to several biographers.

So did Jackie O truly oppose the match?

Hannah and JFK's Romance Was Under a Microscope

Hannah and John F. Kennedy Jr. began dating in 1988. She was already a star, known for Splash and Blade Runner, and as recognisable to paparazzi as he was.

John Kennedy Jr. seen on his boat with girlfriend Daryl Hannah and friends waterskiing in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Friends later described their relationship as passionate but volatile. They camped, skied and biked through Central Paark. Public sightings of their fights were also reported as media attention followed them everywhere, turning even routine dinners into tabloid fodder.

According to reports, Kennedy was deeply drawn to Hannah's free-spirited personality. However, the glare of celebrity culture strained them both. Hannah told Entertainment Weekly in the early '90s that constant speculation about marriage was exhausting, saying even strangers asked her about wedding plans.

Jackie's Reported Concerns

While there is no public quote from Jackie directly condemning Hannah, several Kennedy biographers suggest she had reservations.

In 'Jackie, Janet & Lee,' author J. Randy Taraborrelli writes that Jackie valued privacy above all else and feared the media circus that surrounded Hollywood relationships. Other accounts cited by People describe her as concerned about how an actress, already subject to tabloids, would fit within the Kennedy legacy.

John Kennedy Jr. with girlfriend Daryl Hannah at his cousin Ted Jr.'s wedding in Block Island, Rhode Island.

At the same time, Hannah's stepmother has publicly insisted Jackie was 'warm and affectionate' toward her. Hannah reportedly visited during Jackie's final illness in 1994 and attended her wake.

Well, history shows that Jackie spent decades shielding her family from scandal. A high-profile actress, no matter how accomplished, may have represented more exposure than she was comfortable with.

How FX Reimagines the Lost Relationship

By the early 1990s, cracks were showing between the duo. Kennedy met Carolyn Bessette through fashion circles in 1991, though he remained with Hannah for several more years.

John Kennedy Jr. and Daryl Hannah run from his house in Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport, Massachusetts.

In 1994, tragedy struck when Kennedy accidentally lost Hannah's dog in Central Park, and it was reported that it was killed by a car. Friends later described the moment as symbolic of how fragile the relationship had become.

Weeks later, Jackie died on 19 May 1994. Not long after, Kennedy and Hannah separated for good, and he married Bessette in 1996.

Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy portrayed by Sarah Pidgeon in Hulu's 'Love Story'

Ryan Murphy's Love Story portrays Jackie's resistance subtly through tense lunches, measured silences, and a mother urging stability. According to early reviews, the beginning of the show explores their relationship, and in some scenes, JFK Jr. defends Hannah.

Whether Jackie actively opposed the marriage or simply feared its consequences remains open to interpretation. The series suggests that, in the end, it wasn't just family pressure or tabloid heat that ended the romance, but timing and grief of losing a parent as well.

Originally published on IBTimes UK

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Celebrity romance, Ryan murphy