Priscilla Presley reflects on her early days with Elvis and their age gap

By Marianne Garvey, CNN

(CNN) — Priscilla Presley appeared at the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” the film that chronicles her relationship with Elvis Presley.

At a press conference following the premiere, Presley addressed her age gap with the late singer, saying he was “respectful” of her age. The two met in 1959, when Priscilla was 14 and Elvis was 24.

Elvis had been serving time in the Army in Germany, while Priscilla’s stepfather was stationed in the Air Force nearby. The two met and became friends.

“Elvis would pour his heart out to me, his fears, his hopes, the loss of his mother which he never ever got over, and I was the person who really really sat there to listen and to comfort him. I was a little bit older in life than in numbers and that was the attraction. And you know, people think, Oh, it was sex… Not at all. I never had sex with him. He was very kind, very soft, very loving. But he also respected the fact that I was only 14 years old. We were more in mind and thought. And that was our relationship.”

“It was very difficult for my parents to understand that Elvis would be so interested in me and I really do think because I was more of a listener,” Presley said.

She called Elvis the love of her life. They were married from 1967 to 1973 before they split.

“It was the lifestyle that was so difficult for me, and I think any woman can relate to that,” she said. “But it didn’t mar our relationship, we still remained very close. And of course, we had our daughter, and I made sure that he saw her all the time. It was like we never left each other.”

Coppola’s film is based on Presley’s 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me.” “Priscilla” hits theaters Oct. 27.

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