In a newly released HBO documentary titled "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes," shocking revelations have emerged about the late Hollywood icon's tumultuous marriage to Eddie Fisher, her fourth husband. The documentary, which premiered on August 3, includes interviews conducted by journalist Richard Meryman between 1964 and 1965.

During these interviews, Taylor candidly referred to her marriage to Fisher as "one big friggin' awful mistake." The actress had embarked on an affair with Fisher while he was still married to Debbie Reynolds, and they swiftly tied the knot just three hours after Fisher's divorce was finalized in 1959. Despite lasting four years, the relationship was marked by intense emotional distress for Taylor.

In the documentary, Taylor revealed the depth of her depression during her marriage to Fisher, disclosing that she attempted suicide by taking sleeping pills deliberately and calmly, in front of him. She stated on an audio tape, "I'd rather be dead than face divorce. I was fed up with living." Remarkably, Taylor survived the attempt and later considered it "self-indulgent" due to the negative impact it would have had on her children.

At the time of her marriage to Fisher, Taylor already had three children from previous marriages. She had two sons, Michael Wilding Jr. and Christopher Wilding, with her second husband, Michael Wilding. Additionally, she had a daughter, Liza Frances Todd, with her third husband, Mike Todd.

The turbulent relationship between Taylor and Fisher ultimately ended in divorce in 1964, following Taylor's affair with her "Cleopatra" co-star and future husband, Richard Burton. In the documentary, Taylor recounted that during her affair with Burton, Fisher would sit by her bedside, illustrating his possessiveness by waking her up with a gun and saying, "I wouldn't kill you. I wouldn't shoot you."

Taylor openly admitted that she never loved Fisher, stating, "I liked him and liked talking about Mike with him... I don't remember much about my marriage, except it was one big, giant mistake, and I knew it before the wedding." Fisher, who is renowned as the father of the late "Star Wars" icon Carrie Fisher, became caught up in a scandal when he left Reynolds for Taylor.

Director Nanette Burstein, who helmed the documentary, shared insights into Taylor and Fisher's relationship, noting Taylor's lack of genuine affection for her fourth spouse. Burstein explained, "She knew going into it [that] it was a huge mistake, but she didn't know how to get out of it because it was so public at that point. So, she just went ahead with it. And then, of course, the marriage did not endure as a result of her lack of interest in being wedded to him."

Last year, Todd Fisher, the son of Reynolds and Fisher, discussed the affair between Taylor and his father in an interview, revealing the public's reaction to the situation. "A lot of people were mad about that... Liz made no bones about being the bad girl." Despite the scandal, Reynolds never spoke ill of Fisher in front of her children.

Elizabeth Taylor, who went on to marry a total of seven times, withdrew from public life after the end of her final marriage to Larry Fortensky in 1996. The documentary "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes" offers viewers a rare and intimate glimpse into the ups and downs of Taylor's extraordinary life and sheds light on the difficulties she faced in her marriages.

The documentary is currently available for streaming on HBO Max, giving fans and admirers an opportunity to explore the untold stories and personal struggles of one of Hollywood's most iconic figures.