- Elvis had a serious relationship with his ex-girlfriend Anita Wood before he started seeing Priscilla, and even proposed to Anita.
- Anita called Elvis out for not calling her and accused him of seeing other women, leading to a heated argument between them.
- Anita confronted Elvis about Priscilla, leading to a difficult decision where Anita chose to leave Elvis for good, ending their relationship.
Elvis Presley — who died of the same bowel obstruction as his daughter Lisa Marie — is known for his marriage to Priscilla, especially due to their controversial age gap. Although the latter clarified that nothing happened between them when she was 14 and he was 24, fans can't help but be fascinated by their "dark" romance — set to be portrayed in Sofia Coppola's upcoming biographic film, Priscilla starring Euphoria's Jacob Elordi (Elvis) and Cailee Spaeny.
It's a well-known fact that Elvis wasn't faithful throughout his marriage. Even before Priscilla, the King of Rock and Roll's ex-girlfriend, actress Anita Wood, would call him out on being a player. As it turned out, he was still with her when he started seeing Priscilla. Here's the truth about Elvis and Anita's lesser-known relationship.
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Elvis Presley Proposed To Anita Wood
Anita and Elvis met in 1957. That year, the Hound Dog hitmaker referred to the Paramount star as his "No.1 Girl." They were together until 1962. Anita's mother wanted them to get married. True enough, Elvis himself promised to marry the Tennessee native. "Also, I guarantee that when I marry, it will be to Miss Little Presley Wood," he wrote in a letter when he was stationed in Germany where he met Priscilla.
However, Elvis had a lot going on in his career back then. He then asked Anita to wait a little more. "There is a lot you have to understand though. Only God knows when the time will be right. So you have got to consider this and love me, trust me and keep yourself clean and wholesome because that is the big thing that can determine our lives and happiness together," he wrote at that time.
"If you believe me and trust me you will wait for me and our future will be filled with happiness," he continued. "With God's help, it will work itself out and you will understand and be patient. I worked so hard to build up my career and everything, and if you truly love me you would not want anything to happen to it and cause me to be unhappy."
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Anita Wood Called Elvis Out On Being A Player
In a leaked recording of their private phone call, Anita dragged Elvis for not calling her, probably because he was busy hanging out with other women. "Because you don't think of me. Because you don't miss me," she told Elvis when he couldn't come up with an excuse for not phoning her.
"Little rascal," the Jailhouse Rock star playfully responded, adding, "You know how I feel about you." But Anita wasn't fooled by the sweet talk. After Elvis said she was "just a baby," she said: "I'm not a baby right now... I want you to explain to me [why you hadn't called], and then maybe I will understand."
Fans thought Elvis was gaslighting her by replying: "There's nothing to explain, honey. I just don't think about — I mean there's nothing." Anita calmed down a bit when he said he'd mailed her pictures. "I think about you all the time, I just don't call every night, that's all," he then said. "I'll just be glad when I get to come home, that's all."
Still, Anita admitted that she "can't help" but feel like Elvis just "didn't want to call" her. "I'm just like any other girl, Elvis," she said of feeling neglected after he'd stopped calling her twice a week like before. Of course, the music icon just kept saying she's "sweeter than the other girls" to try and get out of it.
But that only made Anita ask, "Well do you have a girlfriend out there?" Elvis, replied, "Do I have? Uh-uh," to which she added, "Do you have a special one? I know you have several." The accusation went on and on until Anita told him: "There's one thing I just can't stand. You know what it is? For you to tell me a story about something." It was a little vague, but it seemed like she wanted him to keep her in the loop since they were in a long-distance relationship.
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Anita Wood Cried When She Confronted Elvis About Priscilla
In 1962, Anita confronted Elvis about Priscilla's letter where she pleaded with him to convince her father to let her visit the Can't Help Falling in Love performer in the U.S. He said that he and Priscilla were only friends and asked Anita not to say anything as it could ruin his career.
Still, Elvis flew Priscilla out to the U.S., and promised her parents he wouldn't take her out of Memphis. The two ended up going on a secret romantic getaway to Las Vegas. Then one night back home, Anita overheard a phone call between Elvis and his dad, Vernon. "When I was coming down the back stairs into the kitchen, I heard Elvis say, 'I'm having the hardest time making up my mind between the two,'" she recalled (via Express).
She then stormed into the room and forced him to tell her the truth. "Elvis took me into the dining room and his dad was sitting at the table. And we sat down at the table and I said, 'I'm gonna make that decision for you, I heard what you said and I'm leaving,'" Anita said of that night. "And I remember that I started crying, it was a very difficult decision to make."
Elvis' father tried to make her stay. "I remember Mr. Presley said, 'Well if you must leave Anita, ya' know, maybe you'll meet again. There are people that sometimes separate and they get back together, and you'll get back together again,'" she remembered. But reflecting on that night, she said: "I must say that was probably the most difficult decision that I've ever made in my life. I knew that when I left, there would be no going back. I would never have come back, never."
