‘She was her enemy’: Jealous Elizabeth Taylor ‘disliked’ Sophia Loren because she feared the siren could steal Richard Burton away, new book claims

Their love story was one of the greatest – and most scandalous – in Hollywood history.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s tumultuous romance spanned 14 years and during that era, there was one woman that Liz – considered the most beautiful female in the world at that time – was worried might be able to steal her man’s heart: Sophia Loren.

A new book surrounding the life of Taylor and Burton revealed the jealousy and turbulence the couple experienced during their movie-stardom reign.

The Hollywood heavy-hitters met on the 1962 set of Cleopatra. 

At the time, Liz was married to the late Debbie Reynolds’ former husband, singer Eddie Fisher (who was Carrie Fisher’s father), and Dick was married to Welsh actress Sybil Williams.

When Liz and Dick fell deeply in love, it was an international scandal – even the Pope condemned their ‘erotic vagrancy’ – and one man had a front seat to it all: Italian photographer Gianni Bozzacchi.

Bozzacchi first met the couple on the set of their 1967 movie The Comedians and spent many years traveling the globe with them afterwards.

In his new memoir, My Life in Focus: A Photographer’s Journey With Elizabeth Taylor And The Hollywood Jet Set, Bozzacchi gives an inside look at the time after Liz and Dick’s first divorce in 1974.

When the split occurred, Burton was shooting in The Voyage, co-starring Italian beauty Sophia Loren, who Bozzacchi claimed was Liz’s ‘enemy.’

Though Loren was married to Carlo Ponti – her agent, manager, and the director of The Voyage – rumors began to circulate that a love connection was brewing between the impeccably dressed actress and Burton.

Bozzacchi had put a distance between himself and the former couple, not wanting to pick sides or be involved in the highly publicized melodrama, but he could not resist when Liz called.

Taylor had heard the rumors and learned that Burton was a guest in Loren’s Marino villa, so she and Bozzacchi set up a photo shoot to take photos to sell to American publications for articles about their divorce.

In the book, Bozzacchi details the shoot, explaining that it was shot in his studio ‘American style,’ meaning they were done in color.

‘Elizabeth wanted the world to know she was single, still young, and beautiful,’ wrote the photographer.

The photos showcase Liz in a loose, pink patterned top with frilly hems.

Her famous purple eyes are further emphasized with dark eye makeup and brows and her lips were pink to match the blouse.

The romance between Burton and Loren was never officially confirmed, but the photographer asserted that Elizabeth was convinced it had occurred.

Bozzacchi goes on to recount the time he attempted to reunite Liz and Dick, inviting them over to his house and with the help of his wife, setting up a romantic dinner.

‘It was a magnificent evening,’ the photographer wrote, ‘The dinner itself was nothing special, just good food. But I did everything I could to make the atmosphere enjoyable. … Elizabeth and Richard were very sweet to each other.’

Though the evening was ultimately unsuccessful in getting the two back together, Liz and Dick’s romance did not end there – they would rewed in 1975, only to split again after a year.