EXCLUSIVE: Sophia Loren's Sex Games Laid Bare By Her Son — 'She Always Enjoyed the Attention'
Sophia Loren's son revealed she always enjoyed attention in her private romantic life.
Sept. 9 2025, Published 10:16 a.m. ET
Sophia Loren's son has revealed how the 90-year-old screen legend treated male attention as a playful "game" throughout her career – and insists her mother always enjoyed the chase of love without ever letting it define her, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Italian actress Loren, who became one of Hollywood's most celebrated stars in the 1950s and '60s, has long been remembered for her beauty and her affairs of the heart.
Loren Treated Male Attention As A Game, Claims Son
Sophia Loren enjoyed male attention as a playful 'game' throughout her career.
Cary Grant proposed marriage, Omar Sharif confessed to dreaming of her naked and Peter Sellers wrecked his own relationship by vowing to run away with her.
Yet behind the glamour, Loren's children saw a different side – a devoted cook, homemaker and professional who managed her image with precision.
Her younger son Edoardo Ponti, 52, said: "She never made a big deal out of the big deal, because this kind of 'male gaze' approval never defined my mother – she always saw it like a game.
"It was a silliness that, yes, was part of who she is: she's a very beautiful woman and my mother always enjoyed the attention. But she never took it seriously and always had the discipline and the wisdom not to allow herself to be defined by it.
"And what happens when you do that? You stay beautiful forever. That's why we’re still watching her movies, after all these years."
From Rome To Stardom: Loren's Rise Celebrated By BFI
She won an Academy Award for 'Two Women' in 1961.
The revelations come as the British Film Institute prepares a retrospective season in London next month, showcasing The Gold of Naples (1954), Too Bad She's Bad (1954), Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963), El Cid (1961) and Arabesque (1966).
Adrian Wootton, the curator of the tribute, said of Loren: "She is unique among European actresses of her generation. She could do comedy, tragedy, and had a complete command of the camera. She’s got the whole thing."
Born Sofia Scicolone in Rome in 1934, Loren endured poverty in wartime Naples and was mocked as "toothpick" at school for her thin frame.
She was discovered aged 16 by producer Carlo Ponti, who later became her husband of 50 years.
He guided her transformation into a global star, helping her shed her accent and signing her to a contract that led to more than 25 films before she was 21.
First Non-English Oscar Win Cemented Loren's Legendary Status
Loren's son Edoardo said she never let attention define her.
The relationship with Ponti – 22 years her senior – also sparked scandal.
Italy's Catholic church refused to recognize their marriage, leading to bigamy charges and forcing the couple to live abroad.
Yet the bond endured, with Ponti securing her deals and sometimes even choosing her directors.
Edoardo said: "In addition to the romantic love, he provided that sense of security, that sense of protection, which my mother was always in want of."
Loren's career went on to break records, most famously when she became the first performer to win an Academy Award for a non-English language role with Two Women (1961).
She later starred in Marriage Italian Style (1964) and Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow with Marcello Mastroianni, solidifying her reputation as Italy's greatest cinematic export.
Loren slowed down and starred with her son in 'The Life Ahead' (2020).
Loren Shares Vulnerable Roles With Son Edoardo
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She fractured her femur two years ago but returned to family life.
In later life Loren slowed her pace, publishing memoirs and cookbooks, and working occasionally with Edoardo, most recently on The Life Ahead (2020).
The role required her to appear fragile and makeup-free on screen. "Even for me as a son, I was surprised how vulnerable she looked,"
Edoardo said. "She very simply said, 'Well, I just leant into my age.'"
Two years ago Loren fractured her femur in a fall at her Swiss home, but has since recovered and returned to family life.
Edoardo said with a smile: "An actor never retires."
