Elizabeth Taylor’s son opened up about his difficult childhood with his mother’s name in the headlines.
Christopher Wilding, the star’s son with her second husband, Michael Wilding, appeared in the new three-part BBC documentary series Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar.
During the episode 2, which premiered, he discussed what it was like when his mother was receiving intense media attention for her passionate romance with Richard Burton.
According to People, Taylor and Welsh actor fell for each other while filming their roles as Cleopatra and Antony in the 1963 film Cleopatra, despite being married to others at the time.
As per the outlet, Burton ended his marriage to first wife Sybil Williams in 1963, while Taylor split from Eddie Fisher, who had left his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, for Taylor, in March 1964.
In regards to this, Christopher recalled, “I understood the attention they got because they were kind of this weird phenomenon. After a certain point, there was no way to avoid the media interest. It was just too juicy a story. It was a drag. It was a huge drag.”
Moreover, he then goes on to discuss his time at boarding school and how he’d read the magazines to keep up with what going on with his mother, the same way her fans did.
In this regard, Wilding admitted, “All the other kids know about these stories. I’d hear unpleasant taunts [like,] ‘Well your mother just likes to sleep with a lot of guys,’ whatever. It was just awkward. When I was older, she expressed regret. She felt like she hadn’t been a great mom. But I felt like she was a good mother. It wasn’t easy to do.”
Additionally, Taylor’s granddaughter Naomi Wilding also appeared in the docuseries, and she stated that she believed the attention was “addictive” for her grandmother, as per the publication.
Furthermore, the actor offered the final word on the subject, while noting, “I get it, but having seen it from both sides, that’s a deal with the devil that’s really not worth it, in my opinion.”
