The affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton faced widespread condemnation, including from the Vatican.
Taylor, known for marrying eight times with seven different men, is highlighted in the new HBO documentary, “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes.” The film captures the Oscar-winning actress’s life and romantic relationships through a newfound collection of candid interviews.
In the documentary, Taylor recounts how her passionate relationship with “Cleopatra” co-star Richard Burton sparked a fierce backlash from the Vatican.
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The long-awaited historical drama “Cleopatra” debuted in 1963, featuring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. (Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“An article in the Vatican newspaper labeled me a despicable woman, claiming my children should be taken from me,” Taylor is heard saying in the documentary.
“[It’s] an attack that truly — well, it made me feel nauseated,” she added.
While married to her fourth husband, pop star Eddie Fisher, Taylor fell for Burton. Their affair was revealed by the media in 1962, soon after Fisher divorced his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry Taylor. At that time, Burton was still wed to his first wife, Sybil Williams.
“[It’s] an attack that really — well, it made me vomit.”
This image shows Elizabeth Taylor sitting on Eddie Fisher’s lap on the set of “Cleopatra,” while Richard Burton watches. Taylor would later leave Fisher for Burton. (Getty Images)
“My father labeled me a whore,” Taylor confessed to journalist Richard Meryman. “I faced tremendous backlash from everyone.”
An open letter from Vatican City’s weekly publication accused Taylor of “erotic vagrancy” due to her affair with Burton while still married to Fisher. The Vatican condemned “this insult to the dignity of the family,” as reported by Town & Country.
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Elizabeth Taylor’s affair with Richard Burton faced disdain from many, including the Vatican. (Bob PENN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
According to the book “Furious Love,” Congresswoman Iris Faircloth Blitch appealed to Congress to deem “Miss Taylor and Mr. Burton… undesirable for reentry into the United States.” Several congressmen from New York and North Carolina concurred, attributing the nation’s “moral decline” to their affair.
“At one point, someone tried to blow me up with a bomb at the studio,” Taylor recounted in the film. “The Italian FBI was on-site for five days while we filmed. It was an extremely distressing week.”
Despite the chaos, Taylor and Burton were resolute about their relationship.
Burton and Williams separated in 1963, while Taylor and Fisher divorced in 1964, the same year she married Burton.
Eddie Fisher appeared somber shortly before the announcement of his separation from Elizabeth Taylor. (Getty Images)
When Meryman inquired whether Taylor felt remorse for leaving Fisher for Burton, she answered, “Yes, we both do, for causing such intense pain.”
Meryman also asked Taylor if she feared “divine punishment” for her choices. Taylor, questioning if he meant suffering in hell, stated, “I believe we must atone on this Earth. We should do our penance now.”
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The late actress is featured in the documentary, “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes.” (Warner Bros. Discovery)
Despite the tumult, Taylor had no regrets.
“I couldn’t help loving him,” she confessed. “That was simply the truth.”
Burton was married to Taylor from 1964 until 1974, then briefly remarried in 1975 before their final separation in 1976.
Burton and Taylor married twice: first from 1964-1974, and again from 1975-1976. (Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images)
After his relationship with Taylor ended, Fisher became a target for comedians’ jokes and turned to drugs to cope with his declining career. He later admitted his fortune had been spent on gambling and drugs.
Fisher tried to stage a comeback, but his old fans had lost interest due to the scandal, while a younger generation had gravitated toward rock music, leading to an unsuccessful tour.
In his autobiography, “Been There, Done That,” Fisher criticized Reynolds, calling her “self-centered and phony.” He claimed his career faltered during his marriage to Taylor because he was preoccupied with her emergencies. Both of his ex-wives reacted angrily, and his daughter, “Star Wars” actress Carrie Fisher, threatened to adopt Reynolds’ surname.
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During his marriage to Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher had an affair with Elizabeth Taylor. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Fisher passed away in 2010 at the age of 82.
This year, author Roger Lewis released “Erotic Vagrancy,” chronicling the passionate romance between Taylor and Burton that led to two marriages and divorces.
According to Lewis, “They were lost in their world of desire,” often sneaking away for intimate weekends.
Roger Lewis explained to Fox News Digital that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had a relationship filled with both passion and turmoil. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
“Whenever Burton thought about going back to Sybil, Taylor would have an overdose,” Lewis alleged. “Fisher attempted to control her, which she resented immensely. It was complete chaos.”
The couple’s relationship was one of intense love and conflict. Lewis noted that Taylor caused Burton “great anxiety,” which he documented in his diaries.
“They frequently fought physically,” Lewis mentioned. “It often seemed they would provoke each other just to spark a reaction. Yet, their disagreements would eventually lead them back to passion in the bedroom. This cycle persisted for years, often witnessed by their household staff, resulting in a highly volatile relationship.”
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Elizabeth Taylor’s addiction to prescription pills and Richard Burton’s struggle with alcoholism ultimately led to the end of their marriage. (Angelo Deligio/Mondadori via Getty Images)
Ultimately, their relationship could not withstand the pressures of Taylor’s addiction to pills and Burton’s alcoholism, resulting in their divorce in 1974 after a decade together. Taylor later contacted Burton to ask, “Do you think we made a terrible mistake?” They remarried the following year, but their union lasted less than a year.
Lewis emphasized that they remained the loves of each other’s lives, declaring, “Taylor mentioned she was still madly in love with him until the day he passed.”
Burton died unexpectedly from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1984 at 58.
Many believe Richard Burton was the great love of Elizabeth Taylor’s life. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“Elizabeth Taylor chose not to attend the funeral because she felt it would garner too much publicity and was thus inappropriate,” Lewis explained. “Shortly after, at dawn, she visited the cemetery alone to pray at his grave. She felt, ‘That was the only moment Richard and I ever had alone.’ It was only in his final resting place, with nobody else present, that they achieved the privacy they craved.”
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Taylor preserved Burton’s last letter, penned just days before his passing, in her bedside drawer. It remained with her until she passed away in 2011 at the age of 79.
“I am convinced that their devotion to one another was profound,” Lewis stated. “It was far more than a mere affair. Without a doubt, they were each other’s greatest loves. Even in the photographs of them today, you can see how fervently they gazed at each other—such a consuming love that grew perilous at times, yet it undeniably persisted.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
