Priscilla Presley initially thought her ex-husband Elvis was "really gross".

Priscilla Presley

Priscilla Presley

The 72-year-old actress was married to the American icon from 1967 until 1973, but has admitted to being distinctly unimpressed by the late singer before she started chatting to him.

Asked whether she knew just how famous Elvis was at the time they started dating, Priscilla confessed: "No, I didn't.

"Obviously I'd heard of Elvis, one of my best friends had a fan club that you could join and she showed me the magazine, and when she showed me the inside ... Elvis was signing this blonde woman across her breasts. I looked at that and (thought) there's no way I could be a part of this fan club. It's really gross.

"And then I was introduced to him, but do you know what it was? I didn't see him as this movie star or this huge iconic singer."

Priscilla got to know Elvis following the death of his beloved mother Gladys.

And the actress said the music star was in the midst of a particularly "vulnerable" moment in his life.

Speaking to the 'Today' show in Australia, Priscilla recalled: "I saw him at probably one of the most vulnerable times of his life.

"Losing his mother and then of course being drafted which was devastating at the top of his career. So he poured his heart out to me."

Meanwhile, Norbert Putnam, Elvis' former bassist, recently revealed the singer once recorded 35 tracks in just five nights.

Norbert compared the late star's approach to recording to the attitude of an athlete, as he recalled Elvis' extraordinary recording session in June 1970.

He explained: "No-one had ever accomplished that much work ... and it couldn't have been done with any other artist. He would learn a song in two or three takes ... and Elvis would say, 'Let's do it. Come on, guys.'

"It's almost like an athlete, like, 'Give me the ball, I'll score'. He's pumping, he's saying, 'Guys, we're going to nail this first take, come on.'... and (he'd nail it) first time through."