Who's Afraid Of Teresa Heinz?
I swear to God, George, if you existed, I'd divorce you.--drunken, obnoxious Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) to henpecked husband George (Richard Burton), in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Apparently life with the Kerrys imitates the movies. According to Newsweek, Teresa Heinz Kerry was quite a pain in the ass for the duration of her husband's campaign. (Gee..I'm shocked.)
One excerpt:
Kerry's wife ... presented a host of behind-the-scenes drama for Kerry. Early on, the campaign staff regarded Teresa as something of a hypochondriac, and she canceled three trips in October at the last minute, usually for what was described to aides as a "nonspecific malady."
Turns out that Teresa was at her wackiest during campaign rallies and photo ops:
Audiences were mystified when Teresa turned her back to them at daylight rallies and wore dark sunglasses and a hat at night (backstage, the candidate's wife complained of migraines and sore eyes). As they reached the climax of the tour, an hourlong "family vacation" hike in the Grand Canyon, the planned happy-family-vacation was disintegrating in plain view. Daughter Vanessa didn't enjoy being a prop, Teresa was complaining of migraines and telling her husband she couldn't walk anymore.
Newseek also mentions that Teresa prescribed "potions" for various ailments. Her most famous remedy is a gin and raisins concoction which, she claimed, relieved arthritis.
Here's a photograph of the Kerrys celebrating on election night after Teresa's second bottle of arthritis medicine.
