His sister told the December 1952 Modern Screen Magazine that he left Monroe because she wanted to pursue modeling , after he had given her permission to do so . He confirmed Monroe 's story of the beginning of their relationship in an A&E Network Monroe documentary that his mother had asked him to marry her so that she would not be returned to an orphanage . Dougherty 's actions seem to contradict these claims : he remarried months after Monroe divorced him ; his sister told the December 1952 Modern Screen magazine that he left Monroe because she wanted to pursue modeling , after he initially gave her permission to do so ; he confirmed Monroe 's version of the beginning of their relationship in an A&E Network Monroe documentary that his mother had asked him to marry her so that she would not be returned to an orphanage .