As a news reporter, I learned more about Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor’s struggles. In the final episode of the BBC documentary “Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar,” her loved ones opened up about a pivotal moment in the actress’ life—a family intervention over her battle with substance abuse.
Taylor’s son, Christopher Wilding, candidly recalled the difficulty of confronting his mother about her addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs. “We’d talk to her, but things got to the point where it was decided an intervention would be necessary,” Wilding shared. “We just wanted her to get help. Close family members flew in, and boy, that was difficult.”
The intervention was a jarring experience for the famously strong-willed Taylor. “The family intervention stopped me so dead in my tracks. It leaves you speechless, and it’s so sincere and done with such love that you know it must be agony for them,” she said in a recorded statement.
Wilding emphasized the fear and trepidation his family felt in addressing Taylor’s addiction head-on. “We were all petrified. She was a formidable woman,” he admitted.
Taylor’s perspective on the intervention was equally striking. “It was like being slapped in the face with reality. And I thought, ‘My God, I was a good mother. How have I allowed myself to do this to the people I love most?'” she recalled.
Surprisingly, Taylor agreed to seek help, but with one caveat – she wanted to wait until the following day to check into rehab. Wilding was among those caught off guard by his mother’s willingness to confront her addiction.
Once at the Betty Ford Clinic, Taylor found herself in unfamiliar territory. “She had to do many things she never had to do in her adult life,” Wilding explained. “She had to share a room with a stranger. Everyone was assigned a kind of life, domestic chores.”
But Taylor embraced the process, engaging deeply in therapy and introspection. “For the first time, I felt no one was exploiting me. I was being accepted for myself. I was forced to look at the truth of who I was,” she said.
Taylor’s ex-daughter-in-law, Aileen Getty, who married Wilding from 1981 to 1989, praised the actress for her openness about the experience. “She lived in everyone’s home. We witnessed her suffering, and maybe that did have power, too. She shared that suffering with us,” Getty remarked.
In a bold move, Taylor spoke openly about her time in rehab rather than letting the details leak to the press. “If she hadn’t gone public, the chances are it would have leaked to the press anyway,” Getty said. “That’s when I think there was a real switch that flicked on, like, ‘Actually, better to be the one that puts it out to the world so that you control the narrative.'”
Taylor’s willingness to confront her addiction and share her journey with the public was a testament to her resilience and authenticity. Rather than allowing the tabloids to sensationalize her struggles, she took control of the narrative, using her platform to destigmatize addiction and inspire others facing similar challenges.
As the documentary revealed, Taylor’s path to recovery was not without its setbacks. Wilding explained that the actress’ “physical ailments, terrible back problems, for which the use of pain meds was a legitimate recourse” contributed to her reliance on prescription drugs. “When she was little, we had all these miracle drugs, and you took a pill. That was her approach — better living through science,” he said.
But through the support of her family and the intensive treatment she received at the Betty Ford Clinic, Taylor emerged from her battle with addiction with a renewed sense of self-worth and purpose. “I was forced to look at the truth of who I was,” she reflected.
Elizabeth Taylor’s candid sharing of her addiction struggles serves as a potent reminder that even the most iconic and seemingly invincible individuals are not immune to the challenges of substance abuse. Her courage in confronting her demons and using her platform to destigmatize addiction is a testament to her enduring legacy as a true Hollywood trailblazer.