Who is Elvira, Cassandra Peterson’s partner Teresa Wierson?

The actress and horror movie hostess revealed in her book, Mistress Of The Dark, that after her divorce she felt “emotionally and sexually” done. 

Teresa had also split with her husband around the same time and turned up at Cassandra’s door asking for a place to stay.

Their friendship soon blossomed into a relationship.

In her book Cassandra tells how she living with Teressa made her feel the “happiest I’ve felt in years”.

On a particular evening the pair decided to go out and watch a movie and on their return as Cassandra was saying goodnight to Teresa, decided to give her a kiss on the mouth and it all started from there.

The pair now have been dating for 19 years but Cassandra has not revealed whether they are officially married.

When did Cassandra Peterson come out? 

Cassandra opened up about her personal life in her book, Yours Cruelly, Elvira, which was published on Tuesday, September 21.

She mentions in her book that she had never been interested in women as more than just friends before, but ended up falling for Teresa.

She said: "I'm happy and relieved to finally allow our secret to see the light of day."

The actress explained that she kept their romance private for career related circumstances.  

She explained she was worried that her fans would feel lied to and disown her as an actress as most of the hostess fans were largely male based for decades.

She said: "As Cassandra, it wouldn't have mattered to me that people knew about our relationship, but I felt the need to protect Elvira in order to keep my career alive.

"Elvira has always had a thing for men, and men have a thing for her, so 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.

"Would my fans hate me for not being what they expected me to be?

"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."

Fans have been supportive with her coming out as they have described her as being “courageous” for sharing her true identity.

One fan on Twitter said: “ Congratulations, queers, Elvira is one of us.”

Another commented: “Well good for her. It’s good to be with someone you love.”

A third said: “On one hand, I am super happy that she was able to find such a wonderful relationship.

"But on the other hand, it’s heartbreaking they felt they had to keep the relationship a secret out of fear of public outcry.”

Although their relationship was secret to the public, their family and friends were aware of their romance.