A glorious day for the Kennedy family turned troubling when Joan Kennedy arrived at the March 30 opening of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute – ravaged by a life spent in the throes of alcoholism!
Shocking photos obtained by The National ENQUIRER show the reclusive 78-yearold ex-wife of late Senator Ted Kennedy looking sad and confused, with the former socialite’s beauty distorted by plastic surgery!
“Joan hadn’t been seen in ages, and her appearance was heartbreaking,” an eyewitness told The ENQUIRER.
“She looked like she’s had a debilitating stroke. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were glazed over.”
Joan – who divorced Ted in 1983 – was supported through the day by the same children who once had her declared mentally incompetent!
“She was helped out of her wheelchair at one point, but was quite unsteady on her feet,” a source said.
“Had her sons, Teddy Jr. and Patrick, not come to her aid, she would have toppled over!”
Teddy and Patrick filed a court case in 2004 over Joan’s alcoholism, and hired caretakers to keep their mother from drinking.
The next year, however, Joan was found sprawled on a Boston sidewalk – and her kids learned she was drinking bottles of vanilla extract to hide the smell of booze.
Joan was also secretly guzzling mouthwash for the alcohol – and had damaged her kidneys enough to be on the verge of needing dialysis!
The ENQUIRER later reported that Joan was caught getting drunk on Listerine mouthwash in the bathroom of a health club in 2007 – and revealed she once again fell off the wagon the same day that Ted passed away, on Aug. 25, 2009.
