The legendary Hollywood star Ann-Margret has tragically revealed that she recently broke her elbow in a fall that took place at her home.
Ann-Margret Breaks Her Elbow
Ann-Margret, who turns 85 on April 28, opened up about her recent fall in a new phone interview with Parade.
“I fell the other day and so now my right elbow is broken,” Ann-Margret said. “That’s okay … I have fallen so many times. I don’t intend to, but I do! What can I say?”
Ann-Margret sadly had to cancel an autograph signing so that she could recover from this. However, she’s not letting this injury get her down. Indeed, when asked if she’s on the road to recovery, Ann-Margret replied, “Yes, I am. I sure am!”
Ann-Margret has in fact bounced back from many falls over the years. Her longtime fans will remember that back in 1972, she fell from a 22-foot-high platform when she was about to perform at a Lake Tahoe, Nevada casino.
“My face was collapsed and swollen beyond recognition. Numerous bones in my face were either broken or fractured. My jaw was broken in two places. My left arm was broken … The doctors feared I’d never dance again—if I survived,” Ann-Margret later recalled in her 1994 memoir “My Story.”
Months later, Ann-Margret was already performing again.
“I have always learned from my parents that you just get up,” she said in her latest interview. “You just start all over again.”
Ann-Margret then started singing “Pick Yourself Up” by Jerome Kern: “Nothing’s impossible I have found, for when my chin is on the ground; I pick myself up, I dust myself off, and I start all over again!”
Ann-Margret’s Commitment To Fitness
Though she’s now in her mid-80s, Ann-Margret is determined to stay in shape. She does this by working out at home multiple times a week.
“I have a gentleman that comes Tuesdays, Thursdays and sometimes Fridays,” she revealed. “I’m busy. [I do] all sorts of exercises.”
Ann-Margret hasn’t even let her broken arm stop her from working out.
“Now I’m just doing [exercise] things with my legs,” she explained.
When asked what her reason for using a personal trainer is, Ann-Margret replied, “If I don’t do that, I’ll probably start saying, ‘Well, I don’t know. I’ve got a cold. I’ve got this, I’ve got that.’ But this man keeps me going.”
Ann-Margret Receives Major Honor
This comes as Ann-Margret is about to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Chita Rivera Awards next month on May 18, 2026, at the NYU Skirball Center.
“Ann-Margret is a singular icon whose electrifying presence has defined ‘triple threat’ for stage, film and television,” said Joe Lanteri, founder and executive director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation, Inc. “She has inspired generations of dancers to perform with the same passion and vivacious spirit that has defined her remarkable six-decade career.”
Ann-Margret could not be happier about receiving this honor.
“It means the world,” she said of it. “My goodness. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who moves. I’m a mover!”
“I’m going to try and be really really careful and not flop down, not fall again, but one never knows!” Ann-Margret concluded.
Ann-Margret is a true living legend, and there will never be another one like her. As she recovers from her broken elbow, we’d like to wish Ann-Margret a very happy early 85th birthday, and many more to come!