Elvis Presley’s ‘electrical’ affair with Ann-Margret – ‘He needed to marry me’ | Films | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret’s scorching affair throughout the filming of ‘Viva Las Vegas’ was greater than only a fling; it was an electrical connection that would have modified the King’s life. Ann-Margret, who matched Elvis like no different, opened up about their intense relationship, revealing they have been akin to “mirror images” with an on-screen and off-screen chemistry that was palpable.

She stood out as the one co-star to ever share prime billing with Elvis and was notably the one main woman invited to his funeral. The King’s enduring affection meant he despatched her flowers till his final days, and his father Vernon even requested her presence to symbolize the Presley household in a 1977 TV tribute.

Ann-Margret recalled the simple spark between them: “We both felt a current, an electricity that went straight through us. It would become a force we couldn’t control.”

She additionally mirrored on their kindred spirits: “Little did we know we shared a devil within. We were quiet, polite, careful. But I knew what was going to happen once we got to know each other. Elvis did, too.”

Even Elvis was stunned by their connection and struggled to know it till one in all his Memphis Mafia members put it plainly: “She’s the female you.”

Before their iconic pairing in 1964’s ‘Viva Las Vegas’, Ann-Margret had already captivated audiences along with her efficiency in ‘Bye, Bye, Birdie’. A gifted singer, her bond with Elvis was deeply rooted in music, which she described as a robust pressure in each their lives.

She recalled: “We experienced music in the same visceral way. Music ignited a fiery pent-up passion inside Elvis and inside me. It was an odd, embarrassing, funny, inspiring, and wonderful sensation. We looked at each other move and saw virtual mirror images.”

“When Elvis thrust his pelvis, mine slammed forward, too. When his shoulder dropped, I was down there with him. When he whirled, I was already on my heel.”

The chemistry between the 2 did not cease when the digicam rolled. They would have interaction in playful banter earlier than Elvis’s entourage, stalking throughout the room or crawling with their backs arched pretending to be cats. Elvis would provocatively name: “You’ve got me running,” to which Ann-Margret would reply, “You’ve got me hiding.”

However, he did not run far, and he or she was straightforward to search out as their affair exploded and so they spent nearly a yr unable to get sufficient of one another whereas Priscilla, caught alone at Graceland, learn the gossip within the press..

Elvis affectionately referred to Ann-Margret as Thumper (a reputation she used when phoning Graceland) whereas she known as him EP. Her favorite color was pink, and The King introduced a spherical pink mattress to grace her Beverly Hills flat.

Their mutual admiration for high-speed motorbikes bonded them additional, and they’d experience collectively. Thrill-seeker Ann-Margret stored that zeal going her entire life, even sustaining three damaged ribs in a crash in 2000 when she was 59.

Years later, Ann-Margret opened up about simply how severe their relationship had been: “his wish was that we could stay together.” But the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll confronted immense strain to marry Priscilla, influenced by his supervisor and public expectations.

Priscilla Presley expressed her anger in her autobiography, recounting the second she found the affair: “I picked up a flower vase and threw it across the room, shattering it against the wall.”

The UK media as soon as buzzed with rumours that Elvis and Ann-Margret have been set to wed, resulting in a confrontation the place Elvis accused her of leaking the story, an accusation she has at all times denied.

Some members of Elvis’s entourage, referred to as the Memphis Mafia, speculate that if Elvis had remained with Ann-Margret, who overcame her personal battle with alcohol, he may need prevented his tragic descent into habit. Others argue that Elvis may need revelled within the preliminary pleasure, however he finally most popular a much less difficult companion and would have chosen Priscilla over Ann-Margret, regardless.

After the affair ended, Elvis made a behavior of sending Ann-Margret grandiose guitar-shaped flower preparations for the remainder of his life. These presents have been historically delivered on the inaugural night of every of her headline Las Vegas reveals.

However, throughout her efficiency on the Hilton on August 15, 1977, the accustomed bouquet didn’t arrive, and he or she later revealed that she had sensed one thing horrible had occurred.

The following day, a name to Graceland confirmed her worst fears – Elvis had handed away, however the information had not but been relayed to the press.

Reflecting on their break up in her memoir, Ann-Margret shared the emotional toll it took on her: “It was extremely difficult for me to write and it’s even harder for me to talk about.”

Despite hardly ever talking about Elvis, Ann-Margret needed to painting him positively in her e-book, saying: “There’s been so much, for some reason, negative situations surrounding his name that I wanted to show the man that I knew – generous, loving, funny, talented, gifted – and only show complete respect.”

In the top, in fact, Elvis and Priscilla married on May 1, 1967, break up after the beginning of daughter Lisa Marie, whereas Ann-Margret discovered lasting love.

Incredibly, she tied the knot with actor Roger Smith on May 8, 1967, only a week after her ex. The couple remained devoted for 50 years till his dying in 2017.