In Melbourne, Reed met Leonard Quinn, an American living in England. They were married on 31 December 1926 at Sorrento, Victoria and traveled in France and England for two years. Reed was diagnosed with gonorrhoea in 1929. The disease and several operations including a hysterectomy left her unable to bear children and deaf in her right ear; after her diagnosis, Quinn deserted her in England. Through family influence and connections, she was able to obtain a divorce from him on 31 June. She met solicitor John Reed at a tennis party in 1930. They married on 13 January 1932 at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne. Their marriage was recorded with the state but not with the church.