Inside Debbie Reynolds' Unbreakable Friendship With Hollywood Diva Elizabeth Taylor — On What Would Have Been The 'Singin' in the Rain' Legend's 93rd Birthday
Debbie Reynolds was betrayed by close friend Elizabeth Taylor but later found it in her heart to forgive her.
April 1 2025, Published 7:45 p.m. ET
Acting legends Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor became friends as young children, spending their days on studio sets during Hollywood's golden age.
The once close friends suffered a falling out but eventually found their way back to each other later in life.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the secrets of the actress' rollercoaster relationship on what would have been the Singin' in the Rain star's 93rd birthday on April 1.
Reynolds died aged 84 on December 28, 2016.
Reynolds' friendship with Taylor was severed when the Cleopatra star was caught having an affair with her husband, Eddie Fisher, amid a tragedy in Taylor's life.
While their marriage may have not lasted long, Reynolds and Fisher were forever tied to each other through their children, Star Wars legend Carrie and son Todd.
Their son told Closer: "There's no doubt my father was the love of her life. I know how much they loved each other."
Reynolds was betrayed by close friend Elizabeth Taylor, who had an affair with her then-husband Eddie Fisher.
When Taylor married her third husband, Michael Todd, in 1957, Reynolds and Fisher served as witnesses to the nuptials.
The couples became such close friends, Reynolds and Fisher even named their son after Taylor's husband.
Tragically, Todd died in a plane crash in 1958. Amid Taylor's pain, Reynolds offered to watch her three children, and Fisher went to the Giant star's home to check on her.
She recalled in her memoir, Unsinkable: "He went with my blessing. The four of us were so close, I was sure he would comfort her."
Reynolds revealed she was the 'last to find out' about her husband and Taylor's affair.
While Reynolds assumed her husband was being a good friend, Fisher and Taylor began having an affair.
She revealed in her memoir that she was "the last to find out."
Reynolds explained: "There had been hints in the papers, and I had noticed that when I turned up at functions or parties on my own, my friends were whispering... Even so, it was a great shock to find them together. I was shattered."
The public branded Taylor a "home wrecker," and Fisher's self-titled TV series was canceled amid backlash.
Of course, Taylor and Fisher's marriage didn't last long and in 1964, she left him for Richard Burton.
Seven years later, Reynolds found herself on the same ship as Taylor, the RMS Queen Elizabeth, which was bound for England.
Upon recognizing Taylor's luggage being loaded onto the ship, Reynolds recalled wanting to back out of the journey, but her husband insisted that would be "silly."
Instead, she decided to board – and make amends with her once close friend.
Reynolds and Taylor reconciled seven years later when they were both on the same ship headed for England.
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She recalled: "I sent a note to her room, and she sent a note back to mine saying that we should have dinner and get this over with and have a good time.
"She'd moved along in her life, and so had I."
Taylor not only sought forgiveness from her old friend, but also from Reynolds' children – and both Todd and Carrie eventually accepted her apology.
Carrie also played a hand in repairing her mother's friendship with Taylor when she wrote the 2001 TV movie These Old Broads, which Reynolds and Taylor both agreed to star in.
Todd recalled: "That was the moment they became close again. They literally started talking to each other for hours."
"It was so much fun to watch them together again. It was magical. The forgiveness that took place between them was important."
For the rest of their lives, they stayed friends.
Reynolds said: "People always assume you're going to carry a grudge, but I don't do that.
"We passed through that with time."
