Barnard's first marriage was to Aletta Gertruida Louw, a nurse, whom he married in 1948 while practising medicine in Ceres. The couple had two children — Deirdre (born 1950) and Andre (1951–1984).[1][8] International fame took a toll on his personal life, and in 1969, Barnard and his wife divorced. In 1970, he married heiress Barbara Zoellner when she was 19, the same age as his son, and they had two children — Frederick (born 1972) and Christiaan Jr. (born 1974).[9] He divorced Zoellner in 1982.[9] Barnard married for a third time in 1988 to Karin Setzkorn, a young model.[9] They also had two children, Armin (born 1990) and Lara (born 1997), but this last marriage also ended in divorce in 2000.[9]