After Elvis, Most Fans Missed Priscilla Presley's Other Sizzling Relationships

It's been five whole decades since Priscilla Presley divorced The King. But life didn’t stand still after that. Contrary to what some people may think, the rollercoaster relationships didn’t end once the pair had gone their separate ways, either. While the spotlight may have focused on Elvis, Priscilla was on her own journey to find love again. And it wasn’t always smooth sailing.

Things weren’t easy

That’s not to say Priscilla’s life was always easy when she was with Elvis. Behind their seemingly idyllic romance, there was no shortage of drama. But even with Elvis’ wandering eye and unique sexual preferences, the couple seemed to stay in good relations — even after their separation.

So much happened

We're all familiar with Elvis' crazy post-Priscilla life, leading to his death in 1977. But it seems that Priscilla's life story sort of went under the radar. It’s a shame because there really is a lot to know — some of which may make even modern celebrities blush. So let's find out who she dated and how it all went down.

Karate lessons chopped the marriage

Funnily enough, one of the catalysts for Elvis and Priscilla’s divorce seemed to involve another man. Yep, Priscilla had an affair with her karate teacher Mike Stone. And to make matters more awkward, it was Elvis who got her into the martial art in the first place. He even talked her into taking lessons! 

Switching teachers

Initially, Priscilla started taking lessons at Chuck Norris' school in West Los Angeles. But then she ended up under the guidance of Stone and it didn't take long for the relationship to turn into, let's say, a more unprofessional one. But as Priscilla explained on a 2016 episode of the British talk show Loose Women, she still loved Elvis. She just “needed to find out what the world was like."

Full of rage

On discovering the truth, Elvis had his ego severely hurt and wanted a sweet slice of that revenge pie. The rock star was so mad, in fact, that he even allegedly planned to hire a hitman to get rid of Mike Stone. Fortunately, he didn't go through with it — even the rumors were true in the first place.

Unforgettable first love

Even with this blip, there didn’t seem to be any bad blood between Elvis and Priscilla. And the story goes that when they divorced, they walked out of the courtroom holding hands. For the remainder of Elvis' life, the duo had a surprisingly stable non-romantic relationship. Some even argued that it felt like they weren't even divorced.

Elvis picked up the tab

After this, Priscilla wanted to show that she could make it on her own. However, money always complicates things, whether we like it or not. And Priscilla’s lawyers persuaded her to take a different approach. Initially, the idea was that she’d receive a $100,000 straight-up payment from Elvis and $1,500 monthly for herself and to help look after their daughter, Lisa Marie. But it turned into a $750,000 cash payment, half of Elvis’ house in Beverly Hills, and 5 percent from his publishing company. 

Turning to the wild side

Looking at it decades later, we could argue that Elvis had a case of heartache. Firstly, he kept in touch with his ex-wife. But he also lived with a fully packed schedule of recording, touring, women, and substance abuse. His health deteriorated but he somehow kept going. He went on to date songwriter Linda Thompson, while also openly hooking up with various other women — something Linda actually forgave him for!

Popular until the very end

And during his final months, Elvis dated model Ginger Alden. Although the relationship was supposedly pretty stable, the musician wasn't in good shape overall. He wasn't looking healthy, he wasn't energetic, and he was medicated all of the time. But despite all the hardships, he was still heavily covered by the media. In fact, Elvis' relationships and private life were far more publicized than those of his ex-wife.

Below the radar

For whatever reason, Priscilla's private life mostly remained out of the public eye. The affair with karate instructor Mike Stone was her only relationship aside from Elvis that was widely covered by the media. And even that one apparently wasn't as juicy as the tabloids and magazines would perhaps have wanted. 

More than just an affair

Although Priscilla and Mike Stone started as an affair, they did end up as a legitimate couple. And the relationship lasted for a while — about three years in total. The romance ended in 1975 when Stone sold his story titled "How I Stole Elvis Presley's Wife From Him" to the Globe magazine. Needless to say, this led to the relationship's demise. 

A new fling

After things with Mike Stone had ended, Priscilla was soon back in the dating game. Next up, in 1975, she met photographer Terry O'Neill. He was one of those photographers who closely followed celebrities in the 1960s and the 1970s. So it's not much of a surprise that the pair crossed paths, though it's hard to confirm exactly when and where she met him. And as they weren’t together very long, it’s perhaps best described as a fling rather than a full-on relationship.

Keeping up with the Kardashians

The last name Kardashian goes way back — even before Kim and Khloé were born. And it turns out that Kim’s father, Robert, actually dated Priscilla. Lawyer by profession, Robert later became famous for his controversial defense of O. J. Simpson. But back in the mid-1970s, he was briefly involved with Priscilla. The relationship lasted for about a year before Priscilla decided to break it off.

An awkward turn…

One problem may have been that Priscilla and Elvis were still very close. They shared custody of their daughter, Lisa Marie, so naturally kept in touch — but maybe more so than most divorced couples. According to Jerry Oppenheimer's 2017 book The Kardashians: An American Drama, things got a bit strange. Apparently, Elvis would call Priscilla while she was intimate with Robert, and "she would put the receiver on the pillow and let him listen."

You never forget your first love

Despite this behavior, it was Priscilla who was the one who reportedly ended the relationship. She supposedly felt that she shouldn't marry anyone while Elvis was still alive. The King’s deteriorating health and vulnerability seemingly made it difficult for Priscilla to move on. But she didn’t swear off romance forever…

Another brief fling

After Robert Kardashian, Priscilla hooked up with businessman Kirk Kerkorian, the man behind private investment firm Tracinda Corporation. But this was yet another short-lived romance that would hardly classify as a relationship. They were together for a brief period in 1977 — the year that Elvis passed away. And not much is known about the couple. 

The hairdresser

As you can already see, things were a bit chaotic for Priscilla in the 1970s. So it’s difficult to understand the timeline of some of her relationships. It is known, however, that at some point, she got involved with her hairdresser Elie Ezerzer. This was thought to be sometime between 1976 to 1978. With all these short stints, Priscilla may have been glad when someone came along for the long haul…

Getting serious

Years after divorcing Elvis, Priscilla finally settled and started a full-on romance with actor and model Michael Edwards. The relationship began in 1978, although some sources also mention 1977. Whatever the case, Edwards was quite an attractive man at the time — a textbook example of a model. Plus, he used to be a marine, and Priscilla clearly couldn’t resist his charm.

Wandering eyes

But even though Priscilla and Michael were together until 1984, things weren’t all that stable. In fact, it was a bit on and off. But at least one thing came out of the relationship: Edwards' book titled Priscilla, Elvis, and Me. In it, Edwards divulged some pretty intimate and sometimes weird details about their time together — including how he felt haunted by Elvis’ presence and his attraction to Priscilla’s teenage daughter Lisa Marie. It’s not really surprising they didn’t last.

The big stars

Sometimes, in the world of celebrities, it's hard to tell the rumor from the truth. In Priscilla's case, alleged relationships with Richard Geere and Julio Iglesias cannot be proven or disproven. Though Priscilla was photographed more than a few times in Julio's embrace, wearing a big smile on her face. 

The new start

As the mid-1980s came around, Priscilla was nearing her 40th birthday. And she perhaps felt it was about time to settle down — this time for real. In 1984, she met screenwriter and entrepreneur Marco Garibaldi. It started off as a professional relationship with Priscilla reading one of his scripts. And as Priscilla's sister said back in 1995, "I don't think it really dawned on him who she was."

A pillar of stability

It didn't take long for Priscilla and Marco to start dating and even living together. Reports from people who were close to pair said that things felt very stable between them. And both Priscilla and her friends saw him as a pillar of stability in her life. After a string of relationships that led to nowhere, this probably came as a welcome relief to Priscilla. 

The beginning of a long run

About three years after they started dating, Priscilla and Marco welcomed their son Navarone Garibaldi. Born on March 1, 1987, he's now also known as the frontman of the rock band Them Guns. And while his parents never married, this actually turned out to be Priscilla's longest relationship. Most importantly, it’s said she felt really happy with Marco, building a long-lasting bond over the years.

Just one catch

Priscilla and Marco kept their life stable — pretty much as any average married couple would. However, Priscilla did play a hand in trying to ensure no drama would ensue. When they started dating, she asked Marco to sign an agreement that he would not write a book about her if they broke up. She’d clearly learned her lesson from previous relationships!

Every fairy tale has its end…

But, as many of us know, life isn't like a fairy tale with your usual "happily ever after." After about 21 years, Priscilla and Marco broke up. And to this day, they never revealed the true cause of the breakup. It must have been fairly mutual, though, as there seemed to be no bad blood between them.

Where's Marco?

The weird thing is, since that time, Marco has virtually vanished from public life. He doesn’t have any social media profiles, and neither does he have a Wikipedia page. He didn’t even appear at his son's wedding in early 2022! And while some sources out there mention Marco’s business ventures, none of them talk about his private life!

Back to the dating game

As for Priscilla, she continued on with her life. And, of course, this also included a few more romances. Although she never officially admitted it, Priscilla seems to have dated TV executive and American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe. The relationship reportedly started sometime in 2006 or 2007, after things with Marco ended. And it appears to have lasted until 2008 or 2009 with no reason being given for the breakup.

Who's Richie Palmer?

Priscilla's next relationship was with Richie Palmer. And if you don’t know who he is, don’t worry, neither did we! He does have a few claims to fame, though. Not only does he supposedly work for Marvel Studios, but he’s had a few acting and production stints over the years. He’s also best known for being Raquel Welch's ex-husband. Priscilla dated him for a while in the early 2010s, but forever wasn't on the cards.

Looking for love again

Even when Priscilla reached her 60s, she never gave up on finding love. The next man she was spotted with was an Australian actor and entertainer Barry Crocker. But, again, we’re not sure how long that lasted and why it didn’t work out. Either Priscilla had gotten very good at keeping her love life on the down low or the media had bigger fish to fry! 

Priscilla's still got it

Before we knew it, though, Priscilla and her romances were back in the papers! Sometime in early 2013, sources claimed that she’d dated a television host Toby Anstis, and the relationship reportedly lasted from late 2012 to mid-2013. At the time, Toby was 42 — a whole 25 years younger than Priscilla. As for the relationship's end? Well, we've got the same answer — we don't really know.

Rumors, rumors, and more rumors…

Now that Priscilla is in her 70s, the relationship rumors haven’t let up. Sometime in 2017, for example, stories started circulating about her dating Tom Jones. However, in 2021, the Welsh singer denied that there was any romantic involvement with Priscilla. As he explained to People magazine in 2021, "I met her in the '60s, and she's been a friend of mine ever since."

Used to gossip

Having been in the public eye for so long, Priscilla is no stranger to rumors like this one. And one of the most damning actually comes from a time before Elvis. In a 1997 book titled Child Bride: The Untold Story of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley by Suzanne Finstad, there were a few somewhat shocking statements from a man named Currie Grant.

Before Elvis

Grant was an acquaintance of Elvis in the army, and it was apparently through him that the future golden couple of the ’60s would meet. But in Finstad’s book, Grant supposedly claims that as a thank you for promising to introduce her to Elvis, Priscilla slept with him. On reading this, Priscilla filed a lawsuit against Grant. She won, and he was ordered to pay $75,000. Well, she initially attempted to sue for about $10 million. But she settled for what would be almost double the amount in today's money.

A shoulder to lean on

She was probably quite grateful that while all of this was coming to a head, she was in a nice stable relationship with Marco Garibaldi. As appealing as it may seem to some, massive media and tabloid coverage can really get to you. So it's far from a surprise to know that she prefers to keep things private nowadays.

The rock 'n' roll heyday is behind her

In fact, she's so private now that there's absolutely no information on what she's up to at the moment in terms of romantic relationships. She is nearing her 80s, after all. No one really can expect her to live that pop star lifestyle. Instead, Priscilla is a high-profile businesswoman who tries to live accordingly. 

Current status: a mystery

And so far, she's been successful with that since no one outside of her inner circle knows what she's doing. At this point, then, Priscilla's private life is somewhat a mystery. We could assume that she's probably dating someone. But it's certainly more fun to classify her as a single bachelorette who's in high demand.