Venice Film Festival: Priscilla Presley: “Elvis poured out his heart to me”

Priscilla Presley has shared an emotional glimpse into her past relationship with Elvis. “Elvis poured his heart out to me,” said the 78-year-old at the Venice Film Festival. “His hopes, his fears, the loss of his mother, which he never got over. And I was the one that was really sitting there listening to him and comforting him. That was really our connection,” she said.

Priscilla is the daughter of a lieutenant. She lived with her family in Germany in the late 1950s, where Elvis was also doing military service at the time. The two met in Bad Nauheim in 1959 when Priscilla was only 14 years old.

It was difficult for her parents to “understand that Elvis was so interested in me and why,” Presley said. She thinks it’s because she was such a good listener. About the early status of their relationship in Germany, Priscilla said in Venice: “People think: ‘Oh, it was sex, that was it.’ But no. I never had sex with him. He was very kind, very gentle, very loving . But he also respected the fact that I was only 14 years old.” Their mental connection made their relationship back then.

The two later married and had a daughter. In 1973 the marriage was divorced. Even after that, they would have had a close connection. “He was the love of my life,” Presley said. It was his lifestyle that caused her problems. Elvis Presley died in 1977 at the age of 42.

The film “Priscilla” by Sofia Coppola is screened at the film festival. “It’s very difficult to watch a movie about you, your life and your love,” Presley said tearfully. “But Sofia did a great job. She did her homework… And I really did everything I could for her.”