Elizabeth Taylor’s Near-Death Experience: A Tale of Love, Scandal, and Betrayal

Elizabeth Taylor's extraordinary life will be showcased in the upcoming documentary series, A Life in Ten Pictures, airing on BBC One tonight, July 8.

Throughout her years both on and off the silver screen, Taylor's life was filled with intense drama, a notorious affair, and the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

However, one particular incident nearly cost her life.

During her marriage to Eddie Fisher, who is also the father of Carrie Fisher, from 1959 to 1964, Taylor engaged in a passionate affair with another prominent figure in the Hollywood scene.

While the docu-series will delve into various aspects of her life, one of the most dramatic episodes occurred away from the cameras.

It was during the production of the 1961 film Cleopatra that Taylor crossed paths with Richard Burton, and their connection was instant.

The chemistry between them ignited, and they succumbed to their desires, embarking on a torrid love affair.

Ironically, it was Eddie Fisher himself who discovered the truth about Taylor's infidelity, even though their own relationship had begun as an affair.

Their marriage started and ended in betrayal.

However, one fateful night, an enraged Fisher took his anger to a dangerous level by holding Taylor at gunpoint, threatening to end her life.

The revelation of the affair came from an unexpected source – Richard Burton himself.

He bluntly informed Fisher about his involvement with Taylor during a phone call that Eddie unintentionally intercepted.

This conversation, recounted in the biography Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century, was more explicit than Fisher had anticipated.

Eddie questioned, “What are you doing in my house?”

to which Richard brazenly replied, “What do you think I'm doing?

I'm sleeping with your wife.”

This shocking revelation shattered Fisher's world.

Consumed by anger and despair, Eddie rushed back home to their exquisite Italian mansion.

In a moment of weakness, he brandished a gun at his wife.

However, despite his fury, he refrained from pulling the trigger.

As documented in the biography, he uttered, “Don't worry, Elizabeth, I'm not going to kill you.

You're too beautiful.”

Shortly thereafter, Eddie granted Taylor a divorce, liberating her to pursue an open relationship with Richard Burton.

The couple tied the knot in 1964, marking the beginning of a tumultuous journey together.

Although they divorced in 1974, they briefly remarried from 1975 to 1976 before ultimately parting ways for good.

Their relationship was characterized by passionate love and frequent clashes over the years.

Richard's untimely death in 1984 did not extinguish Taylor's unwavering feelings for him.

In an interview with Vogue, she confessed, “I was still madly in love with him the day he died.

I think he still loved me, too.”

Elizabeth Taylor's life was a cocktail of extraordinary events, both on and off the screen.

Her tormented relationships and the intense emotions surrounding them left an indelible mark on Hollywood history.

A Life in Ten Pictures