Her relationship with
Charles Chaplin became, at one point, romantic as well as
professional (1915-1917). However, it was abruptly over after he was
forced into a shotgun wedding with teenager
Mildred Harris.
Nevertheless, Purviance continued to be his leading lady. Her sweet, girlish
counterbalance to his rambunctious antics had become a marketable
commodity. It was speculated that if they had married, Chaplin could
have been spared much of the domestic troubles and scandals that
would plague him later in his life.