Cassandra Peterson, who played Elvira in Mistress of the Dark, has come out as gay, revealing that she has been in a relationship with a woman for 19 years.
According to the actress, her partner of 19 years, Teresa “T” Wierson, is a trainer who became her friend, assistant, and eventually her longtime love.
The revelation was made in her memoir Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memories of the Mistress of the Dark, which she released on Tuesday, 21 September 2021. She stated that when they met, she had thought that Wierson a man.
“Often, when I was doing my pre-workout warm-up on the treadmill, I couldn’t help noticing one particular trainer — tan, tattooed, and muscular — stalking across the gym floor, knit cap pulled so low over his long brown hair that it nearly covered his eyes,” she wrote about seeing her partner for the first time. “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.“
Soon, however, the actress discovered that the charismatic trainer was indeed a woman after running into her in the ladies’ room. From there, she said a friendship began.
In the memoir, Elvira stated that Wierson came to live with her after her divorce when she felt “emotionally and sexually closed for business.” Wierson had also split from her partner when she turned up on Peterson’s doorstep, saying she had “no place to go.”
The entertainer explains how having Wierson around was actually a “huge relief” and that she “began to feel happier” with her than she had in years.
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Speaking on how their relationship started, Peterson wrote: “…After coming home from a movie, I told her goodnight and suddenly felt compelled to kiss her — on the mouth. As shocked as she was, I think I was even more surprised.
