NEWSDebbie Reynolds Handled Her Husband and Elizabeth Taylor's Affair 'With Grace,' Says Her Son: 'My Mother Was a Classy Person'
Legendary actress Debbie Reynolds experienced the heartbreak of a lifetime when her husband Eddie Fisher had an affair with her good friend Elizabeth Taylor. However, Reynolds' son, Todd Fisher, insisted that the Halloweentown star never let the drama consume her.
In a new interview, Todd spilled details of the tryst, something he was around to witness.
Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds were married for less than five years before splitting.
"My father left my mother for Elizabeth Taylor. A lot of people were mad about that… A lot of people were like, ‘So your dad left the good girl for the bad girl.’… Liz made no bones about being the bad girl. She came a long way from National Velvet… So when my mother was put in the position of being humiliated by my father… my mother was a classy person," he noted of how Debbie — who passed away at age 84 in 2016 — never sought revenge.
In 2008, Elizabeth Taylor (right) snapped a photo with Julie Andrews.
Todd, 65, recalled how his mother found out, as in 1958, reporters bombarded her as she deboarded a plane.
"She hadn’t even heard yet," he noted. "You could see she’s a little shocked, but she just handles it with such grace. That just goes to the quality of her character."
Todd Fisher said his mother never turned bitter after her husband's affair.
Though Todd has some stories to share from that tumultuous time, Debbie "never talked my father down to us," he insisted, also referring to his sister, Carrie Fisher, who died at age 60 in 2016.
"She could have given us an earful about Eddie leaving her for Liz," he continued. "And a lot of it, of course, was in our faces too as children growing up. And this scandal never really went away. To this day, it’s still talked about."
Debbie Reynolds went on to marry two other men after divorcing Eddie Fisher.
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"What you saw is who she was – she really was apple pie," Todd declared. "There was no dark side to her. I’ve known a lot of people [who] had one image that they portrayed to the public and a different image that was who they really are. But my mother really was that person."
"When she made this one movie called Mary, Mary [in 1963] they had to teach her how to smoke a cigarette," he added. "And even then, she did a bad job… She was a girl scout for real and then became this big movie star. She was squeaky clean."
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The affair resulted in Eddie and Debbie divorcing, with the former going on to marry the Father of the Bride star in 1959, but they divorced in 1964.
After the split, the women reconnected and "became great friends again," said Todd.
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Todd acknowledged his parents' union wasn't the best idea from the start.
"They got married when they were in their early 20s. And I think Hollywood pushed them together, too. I mean, I’m not saying they weren’t attracted to each other," he reasoned. "My dad picked my mother off the stage… and told his best friend, ‘I’m going to get that girl.’ And he did – he married her. I’m not sure if it was the best move, but he did."
Fox News Digital spoke to Fisher.
