you would seem to have been utter steamrolling yourself into it into a
mess right because it's a how you come over in the book but that is from
alcohol as well and you had to go into the Betty Ford hospital didn't you
that was Brazil Hospital it's a dissented right no that was was because
of alcoholism rather than obesity it had nothing to do with obesity it had total
Egypt to with addiction alcohol and pill and they advise you when you were there
not stop smoking not to try and give up caffeine not to diet but he not even
think about it you're there for one reason and you concentrate on that 100%
and it's hard enough to get over that you have to give it your all and you go
through a whole process of peeling layers of abduch to get down to why did
I become this mess you know why oh I learned there many things I'm not going
into them mmm then when I clean my inside act up and I felt so wonderful
and energetic and good and good about myself that's when I decided that I was
wearing the wrong slipcover and I wanted the exterior to match the interior you
know when you decided to go into metaphor in your book you imply that it
was party pressure from your family it's not my family intervention yeah yeah it
does not mean do you mean they actually said to you they should come and see you
it's called tough love and they tell you things you've done things they've seen
some of your behavior and they preface it by saying I love you very much but I
have to tell you this that that that and the reason I'm telling you this
is because I don't want you to die and the array of going your will so a lot
about it's it's astonishing it's it's absolutely terrifying and you listen and
it goes around the room and finally I said to them would you just leave me
alone for a couple of hours I have to make it my decision because if it isn't
mine if it isn't my decision to go and do this it won't last
it won't it won't have any effect on me did they come to see you then because of
advice from say a doctor or something like that I mean is that they did they
do that on their own accord or were they asked to do that no they got together
and just said mom's in trouble and then faced you with a lot of home truths mmm
I mean did you could you at that moment with your addiction still strong could
you at that moment take it in and unaccept that they are probably telling
you the truth about you so I knew they were telling the truth what did you have
a great character change for instance were you in in there s no no no but
before were you going through a very bad patch drugs are often alcohol oh I will
I was makes about them yeah everything that it started and obesity was part of
it I was really at the in the pills hmm but did you check me when did you start
to get into real danger with booze then because a lot of people drink and be
merry and nothing happens I have always been able to consume enormous amounts of
booze and never get drunk it would be when I go home and take my
sleeping pills on top of the booze that I'd walk into walls and that's when my
children would have to pick me up off of the floor and put me into bed and when
I'd hear things like that I was appalled and riddled with such awful
guilt that I'd done that to my children hmm I was devastated when you were then
went into Pettiford that was voluntary obviously and then were you able to was
it a group therapy you did yes yeah um it must have been very hard for people
to do group therapy with you because you are so famous it can't be everybody
famous there can i I was the first celebrity every to have done it yeah
except Betty Ford course you did it at the naval Center in Long Beach but I was
the first celebrity to ever go to the Betty Ford Center and they really they
told me didn't quite know how to deal with me and my peers had to pretend that
it was just sort of change MO and they brought very awkward at first and I
didn't quite know what to do because I just wanted to disappear and
be unobtrusive and kind of kept mixed up in the woodwork but within a day or two
days I realized that we're all in the same boat we were there for one reason
to save our lives and that we were all in trouble and we all shared this common
bond and we all became such close friends we leaned on each other and we
helped each other deep from the fact that you loved Richard Burton very
dearly why did you love Wales so much which is where I come from well I love I
know poetry to her in the best of course merely because Richards family yes when
my sister dove - and I love the way it's sort of nestled in the mountains
and the people the people is so wonderful could they could they not
could they treat you as Elizabeth rather than Elizabeth Taylor the movie
star what they do yes when I come down there they yeah I mean
they sing welcome home to the valleys to me and it makes me just weep I feel they
have made me feel well and actually after I'm done being buried they're
ready mm-hmm what imparted event mm-hmm Richard
brought two plots using years and years ago 25 years ago and since he's buried
in Switzerland I thought a part of him could be buried there and a part of him
that's in me can still be buried in Wales well I think that's absolutely
wonderful I mean and that is because of feeling that sort of unity with him and
Wales would you want to do that well I'd like to wish you a very happy new life
as the new Elizabeth Taylor thank you I'm having a great time thank you very
much