Presley's heart uncaged

Herald Sun/November 28, 2002

Just three months after exchanging vows in a romantic ceremony in Hawaii, Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage have ended their marriage.

Cage has filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, bringing to an end yet another failed relationship for Elvis's 34-year-old daughter. It is all a far cry from August, when the couple tied the knot on a beach overlooking the Pacific.

It is Ms. Presley's third marriage to hit the rocks after disastrous attempts to settle down with Michael Jackson and musician Danny Keough.

She fell in love with Cage, a life-long Elvis fan, after meeting him at a birthday party in Los Angeles in October 2000.

They started dating seriously once he had divorced actress Patricia Arquette in May 2001.

Cage got to know her two children - Danielle, 13, and 10-year-old Benjamin - and did his best to introduce his own son, Wesley, from his long relationship with model Kristina Fulton.

Although Cage shared his Bel Air mansion with Ms. Presley, friends say he prefers to be with Wesley in Los Angeles.

Another factor in the break-up is thought to have been Ms. Presley's devotion to the Church of Scientology, a controversial religion popular among the rich and famous of Hollywood.

Her first marriage to Keough, a Scientologist, ended in 1994 while her second to Michael Jackson finished after two years.

Last night, she admitted it was over, adding: "We shouldn't have been married in the first place. It was a big mistake."