Hallmark Star Pushed to Feel ‘Freed’ From Iconic Ex-Husband

Heavy Priscilla Presley worked to become more than Elvis' ex-wife.

AHallmark alum recently opened up about her efforts to distinguish herself as someone other than her ex-husband’s partner. “Christmas in Graceland” Hallmark star Priscilla Presley addressed the topic during a recent appearance.

Priscilla Presley Embraced Acting Gigs

Presley shared her thoughts during an appearance at the Rhode Island Comic Con on November 1. At one point, Presley reflected on a question about how she forged forward after her divorce. Specifically, she was asked what project she represented her “as Priscilla rather than Elvis’ ex.”

People shared Presley’s response. She did not pinpoint one specific post-divorce project. She indicated, however, that her focus on acting roles as a whole did that for her.

She explained that the movies she did in the years after ending her marriage reflected her in that they were “my choice” to pursue.

Presley specifically mentioned especially loved her experience doing the “Naked Gun” movie series. She also noted she enjoyed working on the television show “Dallas.”

Her focus on acting roles “Really freed me a bit” in her personal life. Acting also helped her embrace “being my own person,” Presley explained.

According to Presley’s IMDb page, she started landing acting roles in 1983. She portrayed the character of Jenna Wade in the television show “Dallas,” appearing in nearly 150 episodes.

Presley’s time on “Dallas” ran from 1983 to 1988. She also had a couple of other one-episode television gigs in 1983.

In 1988, the movie “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” debuted, and Presley played Jane Spencer in the film. She later returned for “The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Spell of Fear” in 1991 and “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult” in 1994.

Presley Met the Heartthrob Singer When She Was 14

As People shared, Presley met the iconic singer when he was 24 and she was 14.

They wed when she was 21, in May 1967. The pair’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, was born in 1968. The couple divorced in 1973, and he died in August 1977.

The Times noted in December 2023 that a then-teenaged Priscilla Presley met Elvis Presley in Germany while both he and her father were in the military.

The two first crossed paths at a party. In 1963,  she moved into his estate in Memphis, Tennessee estate, Graceland, with him.

“Living with him was a rollercoaster but I don’t think I’ll ever find anyone I love as much as I loved him,” she told The Times.

While Presley has lived in Beverly Hills, California, for decades, she noted she still spends time at Graceland occasionally. “I can still feel Elvis’s spirit there. To be honest, there isn’t a day [that] goes by when I don’t think of him,” she told The Times.

She added, “Just last week I saw a shirt and I could almost hear myself saying, ‘Elvis would love that. Should I get it for him?'”

Despite their divorce, the two remained close until his death.

In January 1995, Presley talked to The Spokesman-Review about how life on her own was different from her earlier days with the singer. “It has taken awhile to find out what I like and what I don’t like,” she admitted.

Presley continued, “It feels so good not to have someone dictate to you.”