William Shatner jokes about being 'a heartthrob at 89' after divorce from fourth wife Elizabeth
William Shatner has shared his positive outlook towards life following his divorce from his fourth wife Elizabeth. The ‘Star Trek’ star is single again after his January divorce from his 61-year-old wife with whom he was married for 18 years.
But the 89-year-old said that he was not upset about the event and joked about being a “heartthrob” again. “Nothing makes me sad at this age. It’s all good here. It’s all good. I wish everyone well,” Shatner told The Mirror. The actor was with Elizabeth, a horse trainer, since 2001 until news broke that he had filed for divorce in February 2019.
“A heartthrob at 89,” he joked in the interview, adding: “How does it feel to be a heartthrob at 89? Well...it heightens my blood pressure!”
Bill, as Shatner likes to be known, got divorced from his first wife Gloria Rand in 1969. Then he married his second wife Marcy Lafferty, however, after 23 years of marriage the pair separated in 1996. In 1997, the actor again got married. His third wife was Nerine Kidd. But two years after their marriage, Kidd was found dead in his pool after she accidentally drowned with a mixture of alcohol and Valium in her system. Her death left Shatner traumatized. In his 2018 book ‘Live Long and...What I Learned Along The Way’, he has written how he was not able to process Kidd’s death. “My grief was overwhelming. This was the type of pain that makes you think either I’m simply going to die or I’m going to kill myself.”
After these heartbreaks and tragedies, Shatner has reportedly dedicated himself to his work. Before COVID-19, he filmed History documentary series ‘The UnXplained’, which explores unusual phenomena such as aliens. “I was reading about UFOs which I’ve always discounted. I was a cynic but as of late I’m less disapproving. With new ways of photographing, we’re seeing what the person claims to have seen. There was a film about what some air force people saw and there’s no explanation for it. What I don’t understand though is why they don’t land in front of 10 Downing Street or the White House,” he said.
During the conversation with The Mirror, Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in ‘Star Trek’ from 1966 to 1969 and later reprised the role in several films, also recalled the interracial kiss he had with co-star Nichelle Nichols on the series. “She’s a lovely lady, I was the envy of everybody on the set. I was not unaware of the implications. Indeed a station in the Deep South didn’t play that episode. It was important and I was gratified to be part of that. I don’t understand any of this racism or antisemitism. It shocks me. We’re all basically the same,” he added.
Shatner also expressed his frustration over world leaders who are not doing more to solve climate change. “Why are none of us, especially the US, not doing something? It’s so fearful what is approaching us. I don’t know know why we – all the countries with technology – have not banded together to find a way of avoiding what’s coming,” he concluded.