In 1964, Elvis Presley started an affair with his co-star Ann-Margret while the two were shooting Viva Las Vegas.
In her 1994 autobiography, My Story, Ann-Margret admitted to an instant connection between Elvis and herself. While the two stars might have denied the presence of sparks, outsiders noticed the pair’s chemistry right away.
“Initially, Elvis and I might’ve admitted that the only heat between us came from the hot desert sun. But others saw sparks from the start,” Ann-Margret wrote.
Ann-Margret also explained that she shared similar “demons” to the music legend. It is speculated that the Swedish actress referenced the pairs shared struggle with addiction and substance abuse. Before Elvis’ death, it was reported that the icon struggled with alcohol abuse. Ann-Margret also publicly battled alcohol dependency during her career.
“We were quiet, polite, careful. But I knew what was going to happen once we got to know each other. Elvis did, too,” Ann-Margret continued in her book.
Ann-Margret also gushed over the pair’s shared passions. She and Elvis acted as muses for each other, which Ann-Margret described as an “odd, embarrassing, funny, inspiring, and wonderful sensation.”
“We experienced music in the same visceral way,” Ann-Margret wrote. “Music ignited a fiery pent-up passion inside Elvis and inside me.”
Elvis and Ann-Margret were together for about a year, but their relationship came to an end when Elvis’ wife, Priscilla, found out about the affair. Ann-Margret recalled:
“There were other factors in Elvis’ life that forced him apart from me, and I understood them.”
Ann-Margret admitted that she knew the relationship needed to end. Still, her shared talent with Elvis is immortalized. Relive the trailer for the movie Viva Vas Vegas below.