- Posted by: Spicy
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- May 31, 2011
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- 2 Smack Talkers
Elizabeth Taylor with Maury Hopson, hairstylist, in the late 1970s
I have always been fascinated by Elizabeth Taylor – thanks to my grandmother who loved her gossip magazines.
Not long after I was old enough to read I began digging through my grandmother’s dozens of gossip magazines that she would have in a stack in the living room. After a few times of doing this, it became one of the things I was most excited to do at grandma’s house – read gossip magazines. This was the late 1970s and at that time Elizabeth Taylor was almost always the one splattered across their covers, with tales of her boozing, weight gain and general unhappiness. I felt bad for her, and for the rest of her life, I kept up on what she was doing. I still love, love, love reading about her.
I came across a Vanity Fair story about Elizabeth Taylor while looking for something else this morning, and that “something else” just didn’t seem to matter once I found this. VF has a touching story about Elizabeth Taylor and her times of turmoil in the late 1970s – and a friend who may have helped her get through it all.
At the time, Liz was unhappy with her life, living in Washington D.C. as the wife of Senator John Warner and was spending a lot of her time watching TV and eating in bed. She was depressed and was drinking a lot.
A friend of Elizabeth’s, Maury Hopson, sought to help her. He suggested she go away for awhile.
“So I talked to her about going to a spa to drop a few pounds and clean up a little. In those days, there weren’t rehabs all over the country like there are now—only luxurious “fat farms” where people voluntarily checked in to get in shape and stop drinking, all while being pampered with massages and facials. Not exactly where one went after an intervention.”
Elizabeth agreed, but only if Maury would go with her. So he did, and for the next three weeks he and Liz relaxed, swam, had massages, ate healthy foods and boosted their morales. Elizabeth Taylor left with a smile, a special bond with a friend, and 22-pounds shed.
Maury Hopson has some wonderful photos of his spa experience with Elizabeth, and the complete story is a real gem (*diamond*, of course) for fans of the one and only Elizabeth Taylor.
Read the complete story, an Elizabeth Taylor retrospective by Maury Hopson and see all 15 photos at Vanity Fair, HERE.
This was a cool post! How cute about you and your Grams too. :) Celeb gossip was ALWAYS in your blood girl!
Hi,
Thank you for your very touching review of my story and photographs of
Elizabeth and me at the spa in Florida. It was certainly a significant
period for both of us and I shared it in hopes that her fans could also tap into
a side of her wonderful personality that was rarely seen in public. I also cared
very much that she would have enjoyed reading it and remembering our good time. The Editors at Vanity Fair, Erica Singleton in particular, were very sensitive
to my wishes.
Maury Hopson