Since the death of beloved actor and singer Angela Lansbury on October 11, we have been reminded of her character as well as her undeniable talent through shared stories, videos and photos that have been circulating the internet.
One such story was about a resurfaced 2014 interview Lansbury had with Mail Online. In the interview, the Murder She Wrote actor revealed that in an effort to protect her children, she moved her family to Ireland.
Lansbury shared that her son Anthony and daughter Deidre had fallen into a scary crowd and became heavily addicted to drugs in their early teens.
And the leader of that crowd was none other than cult leader and murderer Charles Manson.
Lansbury told Mail Online:
"It pains me to say it, but at one point, Deidre was in a crowd led by Charles Manson. She was one of many youngsters who knew him - and they were fascinated."
"He was an extraordinary character, charismatic in many ways, no question about it."
She decided that "something had to be done."
"I said to Peter, 'We have to leave.' So we upped sticks and moved the family to a house I found in County Cork."
"I was drawn to Ireland because it was the birthplace of my mother and it was also somewhere my children wouldn't be exposed to any more bad influences."
Lansbury stopped working for a year and "kept the house, bought Elizabeth David's books, and learned to cook properly."
"It was a wonderful time in my life."
Thankfully, the move did help her children's situation.
"Anthony pulled right out of his bad habits quite quickly."
She revealed that it took Deidre "a little longer," but she did eventually settle down and get married.
Twitter users who learned of Lansbury's sacrifices commended her bravery and fight for her children despite what it could have done to her career.
Lansbury shared that the move was no doubt worth the sacrifice:
"Certainly, I have no doubt that we would have lost one or both of our two if they hadn't been removed to a completely different milieu, the simplicity of life in Ireland."
She finished:
"We were so very, very lucky we spotted what was happening just in time."
Upon her return to her career on Broadway, Lansbury earned a Tony Award for each of her roles in Mame, Gypsy, and Sweeney Todd.
