Priscilla Presley Spotted Out in Malibu With Former Flame She Met Through ‘American Idol’

Priscilla Presley recently spent some time with her former rumored love and longtime friend, Nigel Lythgoe.

On Wednesday, July 9, the 80-year-old ex-wife of the late Elvis Presley was spotted with Lythgoe in Malibu — which also happened to be the So You Think You Can Dance creator’s 76th birthday.

Per photos obtained by Hello! the businesswoman donned an all-black outfit, opting for a blouse and pants combo with boots, leaving her signature red hair down. Meanwhile,  Lythgoe paired jeans with a t-shirt and a white blazer.

According to the outlet, the duo — who were said to have dated for several years in the late 2000s — were attending a celebratory dinner with friends.

The Naked Gun actress met Lythgoe in 2006 during Season 5 of American Idol, where Lythgoe was a producer. The top four contestants traveled to Graceland and got to meet Priscilla.

In 2011, Lythgoe spoke to the Daily Mail about their relationship, crediting Priscilla for helping him navigate his split from his wife Bonnie in 2007.

“She was just finishing a relationship. She got me through a lot,” Lythgoe said about Priscilla. “The divorce devastated me. I hadn’t necessarily been a good boy through the 34 years. We’d had our ups and downs – other relationships. But we stuck together. After 34 years I guess I didn’t think we’d ever split up. It was terribly, terribly hard.”

“I tried a therapist but it didn’t work for me. It was easier to go out to dinners with Priscilla. We had many nights of talking,” he recounted. “We’ve become dear friends. I call a friendship a relationship. It’s not just her looks. She’s just gorgeous as a person, too.”

However, when the outlet asked if she was his lover, he replied, “No,” explaining, “I believe a good sex life makes you healthy, but I don’t think I can pin myself down to one person at the moment.”

Over the years, Priscilla has had several relationships following her divorce from the “King of Rock and Roll,” with whom she shared her daughter, Lisa Marie, who passed away in January 2023 at age 54. Priscilla dated TV producer Marco Garibaldi from the 1980s until 2006 and shares a son, Navarone Garibaldi, 38, with him.

Despite her romances, Priscilla revealed during a November 2023 Q&A event at a Las Vegas casino that she never had the desire to marry anyone after the “Don’t Be Cruel” singer passed, even making a pact with him not to marry anyone while he was still alive.

“I just don’t think that he could handle that,” she said, according to People.

“To be honest with you, I never wanted to marry after him,” she added. “I never had any desire. No one could ever match him.”