Melissa and Joan Rivers.Photo: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
Melissa Riversis still having a laugh with her late motherJoan Rivers.
“If she wasn’t already dead, she would die. Finding out that I am getting married again, that news would’ve killed her,” Melissa, 55, says of the comedy icon, who died in 2014 at the age of 81.
Asked why she’s so sure her mother would disapprove, Melissa explains, “Just because I was so adamant that I would never do it again. And she understood why I felt that way, and finding that out would probably kill her.”
Melissa was previously married to John Endicott from 1998 to 2003. The pair shares a 23-year-old son, Cooper.
Melissa and Joan Rivers.Noam Galai/WireImage
While Joan may not have been thrilled about her daughter marrying again, Melissa is certain she’d be a fan of the diamond sparkler that Mitchel gave her. “She would’ve really very much liked the ring,” she says, before quickly adding, “Of course, she would’ve liked it to bebigger. But she would like the ring.”
The formerFashion Policehost says she wishes she could tell her mom all about Mitchel, who is an attorney, and how happy he makes her.
“What would I tell her about Steve?” she ponders. “He’s kind. He’s generous, well-mannered. He gets me. And not just gets me — he enjoys who I am and the real me.”
She adds of Joan, “I think she would very much like him,” especially as her mom was all about good manners.
“She would appreciate [that Mitchel’s] very much a gentleman,” Melissa explains, offering an example. “Even a year and a half, almost two years in, he still opens the car door.”
Melissa Rivers and fiancé Steve Mitchel; Melissa Rivers' ring.Melissa Rivers
Melissa Rivers
In thinking about her mother, Melissa tells PEOPLE there is so much more she’d like to share with her if she could.
“I would tell her that it’s taken me a minute, but I’ve found my own voice. I would tell her I’m in a good place. And then Cooper’s good, and I’m happy. I’m okay,” she says.
For more on Melissa Rivers, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
Melissa first opened up to PEOPLE about her engagement back in November. “It’s a big step for both of us and I’m still in complete and total shock, even a month later, but beyond happy,” she said at the time, sharing that Mitchel popped the question during a vacation in Mexico.
She also spoke about her surprising change of heart after previously vowing never to marry again. “It’s something that I never believed in my heart of hearts that I would ever do. But, apparently hell freezes over and pigs do fly,” she joked.
As for the wedding, the couple is taking a relaxed approach — and Melissa envisions a much more low-key affair this time around.
source: people.com
