Actress Cassandra ‘Elvira’ Peterson reveals 19-year relationship with woman
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By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
The Mistress of the Dark is shining a light on her longtime relationship with a woman.
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years Cassandra Peterson attends the 2016 Knott's Scary Farm Black Carpet Event at Knott's Berry Farm on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, in Buena Park, Calif. Keep clicking to see more photos from her career. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1983: Cassandra Peterson as Elvira poses for a portrait in October 1983 in Los Angeles. (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1984: Alice Cooper and Cassandra Peterson during the 26th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1985: Actress Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) and actor Paul Reubens (Pee-wee Herman) attend the 42nd annual Golden Globe Awards on January 26, 1985, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1986: Actress Cassandra Peterson, also known as "Elvira -Mistress of the Dark," poses during a 1986 West Hollywood, California, portrait session. (George Rose/Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1988: Actress Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) and athlete Earvin "Magic" Johnson attend the fifth annual MTV Video Music Awards on September 7, 1988, at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1990: Frankie Avalon and Cassandra Peterson during Elvira Perfumes Press Conference at Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1991: Actress Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) and comedian Sam Kinison attend the second annual Horror Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 5, 1991, at Universal Studios in Universal City, California. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1992: Walt Disney Television via Getty Images "In Concert - Halloween Show" gallery on September 28, 1992. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1995: Actress Cassandra Peterson, husband Mark Pierson and daughter Sadie attend the Caring for Babies with AIDS' fifth annual Stroll-A-Thon on November 12, 1995, at Roxbury Memorial Park in Beverly Hills, California. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1998: Actress Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) attends Disney's VHS Re-Release of "Lady and the Tramp" Special Screening on September 15, 1998, at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 1999: Actress Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) and daughter Sadie Pierson attend the 68th annual Hollywood Christmas Parade on November 28, 1999, at Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2000: Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson at PETA's Party of the Century and Humanitarian Awards. (Steve Granitz/WireImage)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2001: Actress Cassandra Peterson arrives at the 21st annual St. Jude Hollywood Gala on March 1, 2001, in Beverly Hills, California. (Jason Kirk/Newsmakers)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2002: Elvira Mistress of the Dark hosts the midnight screening of her latest "Elvira's Haunted Hills" in a tribute to Vincent Price. (Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2003: Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira, in Chopard jewelry during the 2003 Cannes Film Festival - "Il Cuore Altrove" Premiere at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France. (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2004: Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) during Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show 2004 at Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn in North Hollywood, California. (Barry King/WireImage)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2005: Cassandra Peterson during the 25th Anniversary Gala for PETA and Humanitarian Awards at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, California. (Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2006: Paul Reubens and Cassandra Peterson during the "Dirt" Hollywood premiere and after-party in Hollywood, California. (Paul Redmond/WireImage)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2007: Actor Gregory Michael, actress Tracy Scoggins, Here Network founder Paul Colichman and actress Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) attend the "Dante's Cove" Season Three after-party held at Eleven nightclub on October 16, 2007, in West Hollywood, California. (Barry King/WireImage)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2009: Horror icon Elvira guest stars as herself in a 2009 episode of "Medium." (Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2011: Elvira Mistress of the Dark photo-op during Comic-Con 2011 on July 23, 2011, in San Diego. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2012: Television host RuPaul (left) and television personality Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira Mistress of the Dark attend "RuPaul's Drag Race" season 4 premiere party at Eleven Night Club on January 24, 2012, in West Hollywood, California. (Mark Davis/Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2013: Entertainer Elvira (aka Cassandra Peterson) performs in her "Elvira's Sinema Seance" show at Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt on October 24, 2013, in Buena Park, California. (Barry King/WireImage)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2014: Entertainer Elvira Mistress of the Dark hosts her show "Elvira's Big Top" at the 42nd annual Knott's Scary Farm Media Night held at Knott's Berry Farm on September 25, 2014, in Buena Park, California. (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2015: Entertainer Elvira (aka Cassandra Peterson) performs in her show "Elvira's Asylum" at Knott's Scary Farm Opening Night 2015 at Knott's Berry Farm on September 24, 2015, in Buena Park, California. (Barry King/WireImage)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2016: Paula Abdul and Elvira attend Knott's Scary Farm at Knott's Berry Farm on October 8, 2016, in Buena Park, California. (Jerod Harris/Getty Images)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2017: Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira: Mistress of the Dark arrives at Knott's Scary Farm and Instagram's Celebrity Night held at Knott's Berry Farm on September 29, 2017, in Buena Park, California. (Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2018: Cassandra Peterson attends the fourth annual RuPaul's DragCon at the Los Angeles Convention Center on May 12, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Santiago Felipe/FilmMagic)
Photos: Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson through the years 2019: Cassandra Peterson attends the Funko Hollywood VIP Preview Event at Funko Hollywood on November 7, 2019, in Hollywood, California. (John Sciulli/Getty Images for Funko)
Cassandra Peterson, the actress best known for playing Elvira, revealed in her new autobiography that she has been in a relationship with Teresa Wierson for 19 years, Entertainment Tonight reported.
In “Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark,” which was released Tuesday, the 70-year-old pop culture icon reveals that she fell in love with “T” -- a trainer who later became her assistant and close friend -- after divorcing her manager, Mark Pierson, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“I’m happy and relieved to finally allow our secret to see the light of day,” Peterson writes of her relationship with Wierson, according to Entertainment Weekly.
When she met Wierson, Peterson said at first she did not realize that the trainer was a woman.
“Dark and brooding, he gave off such intense energy that when he crossed the enormous gym floor, the waters parted and people stopped in their tracks to stare,” Peterson wrote in her memoir. “A typical sexy bad boy, he was unaware he was so charismatic that he’d garnered his own unofficial fan club. Watching him from the safety of my treadmill made my heart beat faster and the time pass much more quickly. I mean, c’mon, I was married, not dead.”
When Peterson later ran into Wierson in a women’s restroom, she realized that the trainer was a woman, Entertainment Tonight reported. Their platonic relationship turned romantic after Peterson split with her husband and Wierson ended her own relationship, and Wierson moved in with Peterson and her son, the website reported.
Peterson worried that fans of her campy alter-ego might alienate some fans, who viewed Elvira as a sex symbol for men, the Times reported.
“I worried that if I announced I was no longer living the ‘straight life,’ my fans would feel lied to, call me a hypocrite, and abandon me,” Peterson writes in her book.
However, Peterson decided the time was right to go public with her relationship.
“I’m very aware that there will be some who will be disappointed and maybe even angry, but I have to live with myself, and at this point in my life, I’ve got to be truthful about who I am,” she wrote. “For the first time in my life I’m with someone who makes me feel safe, blessed, and truly loved.”