Billie Lourd Shares How Her Grandmother Debbie Reynolds Felt About Ex’s Affair with Elizabeth Taylor

In 1988, Reynolds reflected on her marriage and the highly publicized infidelity during an interview with ET.

“We, at that point in our marriage, were happily married. We had a wonderful son and daughter,” the Singin’ in the Rain star said. “But, obviously, I was incorrect about that, you know? Again, that was my viewpoint. I was happy, I was in love, but obviously he was not.”

Reynolds continued, “[Eddie]’s like a good race horse: he gets off really, really good, and then he loses the race.”

The actress also recalled how many people in her social circle appeared to know about the affair before she did.

“We were all the best of friends, so there’s nothing wrong with that. So, to my mind, there was nothing wrong with that,” she said. “Then, I went to a party — a dinner party — and everyone was sort of whispering, like, ‘Does she know…’ And I wanted to know what they were whispering about, but nobody would tell me what they were whispering about, so I figured it was about me. So, then I put two and two together, because I could hear that certain [words], ‘Eddie’ and ‘Elizabeth’ and such.”

Reynolds and Fisher ultimately divorced on May 12, 1959 following the scandal. Fisher and Taylor married the same day — just three hours after Reynolds and Fisher’s divorce was finalized. Taylor and Fisher later divorced in March 1964.

In the interview with The Times, Lourd also shared her appreciation for her late grandmother and mom, who died one day apart in 2016 at 84 and 60, respectively.

“They really were two of the most talented women of all time and I feel so lucky to live under their glittery umbrellas,” she told the outlet. “For a while I tried to hide from it but now I say it loud and proud — I’m Carrie Fisher’s daughter and I’m Debbie Reynolds’s granddaughter, and I feel so lucky to be able to say that.”