Priscilla Presley: ‘I’ve been protective of Elvis’s reputation but now I’m willing to share about my life with him’-Paul Simper-Entertainment – Metro

Priscilla Presley is preparing to tour the UK (Picture: Getty)

Elvis’s ex-wife, 77, on The Beatles getting starstruck, what she thought of Baz Luhrmann’s biopic and why she adores pitbulls.

You are doing your first ever An Evening With Priscilla Presley UK tour. When did you first come to Britain?

I was a little late going to the UK. It would have been in the 80s. Love it, love it, love it. I have friends there. I really love your sense of humour, not so much the weather but I get along.

Did Elvis talk about his frustrations at manager Colonel Parker not letting him visit the UK?

Yes. He wanted to very much. He had a few English friends as well. This is back in the day when I met him in Germany. He talked about travelling and we actually had plans to come over there back in the 1970s but that was stopped for whatever reason. We had our passports done and he was looking forward to it.

What made you do this tour now?

At this time in my life I’m willing to share. I’ve been very guarded and protective in making sure that Elvis was taken care of as far as his reputation, his loves, his concerns. But I have stories that I think people will love and make them really appreciate him even more.

There’s some never-before-seen home movie footage…

They’re my home movies. You get to see a bit of our life and fun and Elvis’s playfulness. It’s him just being Elvis.

Elvis talked to Priscilla about his frustration at manager Colonel Tom Parker (left, pictured c1956) not letting him visit the UK (Picture: GAB Archive/Redferns)

What’s it like for you looking at those home movies now?

I really feel like I’m in that moment. It just brings back how much fun we had. He gave me a surprise birthday party and you see that and the luggage that he got me and the gifts and just who he was as a person.

He really was an amazing human being. I’ve never met anyone in my life like him. I’ve never met an entertainer like him. I’ve never known anyone who loved their audience as much as he did.

You’ve praised Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie and Olivia DeJonge’s portrayal of you…

I thought she did a really nice job only because I cared so much for Elvis and she did show that in the movie. That was a concern of mine, how I am going to be perceived. I was and am still softly spoken and I was very sensitive to him and his moods and, of course, worried about him. There’s a sensitivity about Olivia in the movie.

Austin Butler as Elvis in the Baz Luhrmann biopic (Picture: Warner Bros/Avalon)

Baz brought Austin Butler, who plays Elvis, to meet you before filming. Did Austin have particular questions?

Yes, he asked me things about Graceland and about Elvis’s life there, the meaning of it for him, but I was very surprised at how prepared he was. I’m still baffled. I can’t tell you how much me and my daughter [Lisa Marie] just felt ‘wow’.

Austin had him down to a tee. He was 95 per cent Elvis. It was frightening, refreshing and mind- boggling to have someone so close to who Elvis was in character – not that he looked like Elvis but he had Elvis’s mannerisms. It was just really magical.

Elvis and Priscilla on their wedding day in Las Vegas in May 1967 (Picture: Bettmann Archive)

With baby Lisa Marie, four days after her birth in February 1968 (Picture: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Did you see Peter Jackson’s eight-hour Beatles epic, Get Back?

Yes, it was great. That’s another story I will talk about in the show, Elvis meeting The Beatles.

You’ve said The Beatles were nervous when they visited Elvis’s den at Graceland. Did you talk to them to try and break the ice?

The ice hadn’t been broken. Elvis was watching TV and he sat back down and put his feet on the coffee table. Ringo was playing pool in the den. George had gone out to talk with one of the guys. John and Paul were just hovering over Elvis and nothing was said. Nothing.

Elvis was watching the TV and then he said, ‘Well, if you’re not going to talk, I might as well go to bed.’ That just broke everything up and then Paul was like, ‘Uh-huh, er, hi Elvis, well, we were just a little nervous.’ It was so cute.

Paul McCartney admitted to being ‘just a little nervous’ when he met Elvis (Picture: Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns)

Elvis used to play along to records on his jukebox. Would he play along to The Beatles?

I don’t really know with The Beatles. He was into R&B, gospel and country music. Timi Yuro’s song Hurt was the first song he ever played for me. I had never heard of Timi Yuro. Oh my God, she’s got a voice. He was such a huge fan of people who could deliver a great song.

More: Sixty Seconds

What’s happening with the film Priscilla that Sofia Coppola is making?

I’m a huge fan of hers. I’m honoured that she wanted to do a movie about me. I just hope she gets it right! It’s always nerve-racking when you leave your life in someone else’s hands.

Elvis, one of the greatest performers of all time (Photo by Liaison)

What are you doing today?

My two dogs are looking at me ready to go for a walk. So that’s how I start my day. I have a pit [bull]. Everybody is afraid of pits but they are the best dogs. They are so sweet. It is the owners who want a mean dog but they don’t come that way.

And I have a long-haired Jack Russell terrier. They are the love of my life. I started with rescues when I was six years old, with a little rescue dog I found. Then I do paperwork for this show. There is so much happening. I have plenty to do.

Tickets to An Evening With Priscilla Presley UK Tour are available now

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

MORE : Lisa Marie Presley ‘destroyed’ by son’s death as she opens up on ‘unrelenting grip’ of grief

MORE : ‘He loved being around Blacks’: Elvis Presley’s ex-wife Priscilla insists singer ‘wasn’t racist’

MORE : Why you should visit stunning Memphis and Graceland – the home of Elvis Presley

Entertainment – MetroRead More