Liza Minnelli and Peter Allen’s first marriage fell apart when she entered the house and discovered him having “passionate sex” with a man.
“This was a betrayal of the intimacy of our marriage,” the “Cabaret” star writes in her new memoir, “Children, Wait Until You Hear This!,” “We had the deepest trust in each other, but I couldn’t process it at first. It was impossible for my heart to absorb what my eyes saw.”
Minnelli, 79, added that “after the other gentleman quickly dressed and disappeared,” she stood frozen until Allen came over and hugged her tightly, adding that they both began to cry.
“He felt terrible and said to me for the first time: ‘Liza, I love you more than anyone else in the world, and I’m gay,'” she wrote.
The “Arrested Development” alum said the pair had an “active, very fulfilling sex life,” but the “I Go to Rio” crooner explained that she was also attracted to men.
“He said he tried very hard to be monogamous, but his feelings for men never went away,” Minnelli recalled. “It was a fact of his life, and now it’s a fact of my life.”
The Oscar winners said the affair “didn’t destroy” them.
“Even at that sad moment of discovery, we still felt great love for each other. Neither of us wanted our marriage to end.”
The two met through Minnelli’s mother, Judy Garland, and quickly fell in love. They became engaged in 1965 and married two years later.
Despite her deep love for Allen, Minnelli confessed in her memoir published Tuesday that she had a sweet affair with French singer Charles Aznavour, whom she met at a cocktail party while they were engaged, writing that the two had an “instant attraction.”
She then found out where he was staying and showed up at his hotel before starting his Canadian tour, and traveled with him throughout his tour.
“I loved him,” she admits. “I loved Peter Allen too. We weren’t married yet. Was life a delicious mess? Yes. Did I follow my heart? Guilty as accused.”
Minnelli and Allen eventually divorced in 1974, but “continued to deeply love and respect each other.”
The “Arthur” star explained that she remained with Allen because they shared a deep “spiritual connection” and their ” mutual attraction never wavered.”
She credits Allen with helping her unravel her dysfunctional childhood and writing “beautiful” songs inspired by their time together.
Minnelli married three more times, and Allen entered into a long-term relationship with model Gregory Connell. The two met in 1973 and remained together until Cornell’s death 11 years later.
Allen died in 1992 at the age of 48 from AIDS-related cancer.
