Priscilla Presley Was Always ‘Nervous’ About Elvis’ Female Fans
Elvis Presley‘s former wife, actor Priscilla Presley, is opening up about some of the highs and lows of being married to such a high-profile figure. In a new interview, Presley says she was always “nervous” about his female fans — so much so that she went to some pretty extreme lengths to keep tabs on him.
Presley met the King of Rock and Roll while he was serving in the military in Germany in 1959. She was just 14 years old. He was in his mid-20s at the time and already had a string of classic hits including “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel” and more under his belt. They married in 1967 when she was 21 and he was 32, and while their relationship is often portrayed in an idealized light, Priscilla Presley tells People that she lived with constant worry about the appeal he held for his female fans.
“Women gravitated to him, so I would be nervous when he had to go places alone,” she admits. “I would even go with him to get his teeth cleaned! I always had an eye on him because everyone in the world was after him.”
She also addresses his legendary temper, which could cause him to lash out unexpectedly and in shocking ways.
“If he saw somebody he didn’t like on the TV, he’d get his gun out and blow it up,” she recalls. “Then he would tell his daddy to go get another TV.”
Despite those drawbacks, she relished her role as his wife in many ways.
“I was always ready to greet him at the door and pamper him,” she states. “I loved taking care of Elvis very much. I loved tending to him. I loved feeding him.”
The couple even developed a separate way of communicating with one another that Presley calls “baby talk,” so they could speak privately when other people were around.
“It was a good life,” she asserts. “It was different, but it was ours.”
The couple welcomed their only child together, daughter Lisa Marie Presley, in 1968, and they divorced in 1973. Elvis Presley died in 1977, and his former wife went on to a successful acting career that included high-profile starring roles on Dallas and in the Naked Gun movies. She tells People she does not regret her marriage to Presley, though it lasted only six years.
“I truly cherish the great times,” she shares. “As you grow up, there are always fears and insecurities. But as you get older you understand it all.”
