Sophia Loren: Marriage, Motherhood & Cooking Her Secret Pasta | Dini Petty 1999

Sophia Loren stayed in bed for eight months—twice—just to become a mother. In this intimate 1999 conversation, the screen legend reveals the fierce determination behind her family life, confirms the rumours about Cary Grant, and takes us into the kitchen to prepare the dish she loves most.

While the world saw a sex symbol, Sophia saw herself as a survivor. She opens up to Dini Petty about hiding in train tunnels during the war, the poverty that taught her grandmother to cook with "fantasy," and why meeting her husband Carlo Ponti at age 16 wasn't love at first sight—but something much deeper. This rare broadcast captures a Hollywood icon at her most maternal, vulnerable, and authentically Italian.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Dini welcomes one of the most beloved actresses in cinema history
1:14 The sacrifice for motherhood: why she spent eight months in bed to save her pregnancy
3:55 Losing three children and the doctor who finally gave her hope
8:10 Hiding from bombs in a train tunnel: the terrified childhood that forged her resilience
11:20 How poverty taught her grandmother to cook with "fantasy" instead of money
16:25 COOKING DEMO: Sophia teaches Dini to make "Pasta al Pomodoro Crudo" (and why she loves garlic perfume)
22:15 The sponge cake mistake: Sophia tastes Dini’s attempt at her own recipe
25:40 The beauty contest at age 16 where she met her future husband, Carlo Ponti
28:40 The truth about the Cary Grant marriage proposal rumours 29:55 Why she believes we make our own destiny

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For a decade, The Dini Petty Show was the undisputed queen of Canadian daytime television. A national institution on CTV, the show delivered award-winning, in-depth conversations that defined an era. Dini Petty’s intimate interview style attracted the world’s biggest stars, from Hollywood legends to global icons, and the show became a daily ritual for millions.

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