Carol Connors has spent decades in the spotlight, but her latest chapter is one of reflection and honesty.

From her early success as the lead singer of the Teddy Bears to her acclaimed songwriting, her career has been anything but ordinary. Now, with her memoir and documentary Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story, she is revisiting deeply personal moments — including her relationship with Elvis Presley.

During a recent appearance at the 26th annual Beverly Hills Film Festival, Connors spoke to PEOPLE about what it meant to relive those experiences again. 

“It’s not just good feelings,” the 85-year-old admits. “As I said to the producer and the director, I said, ‘Don’t whitewash me. Please don’t whitewash me. I’ve led a very checkered past, and if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it. And if I’m not going to do it, I won’t do it.’ ”

That commitment to truth is exactly why Connors chose to tell her story on her own terms. 

“Even in the book, the memoir and the audiobook, which [got a] Grammy nomination, I like to think that I’m honest about everything,” she says, emphasizing her dedication to transparency.

The documentary, which premiered on Jan. 3, 2026, builds on her 2025 memoir and traces her journey from pop stardom to co-writing the iconic “Gonna Fly Now” from Rocky. 

Connors’ story also includes her whirlwind romance with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, which she says began after he heard her sing “To Know Him Is to Love Him” — the Teddy Bears’ chart-topping hit. 

When speaking to Rewind Magazine, Connors recalled being brought to Presley’s Los Angeles home in 1964 to meet him for the first time.

“I walked down these steps, and he was standing in the corner….He finally came up to me, and he said, ‘So, why’d you name the group the Teddy Bears?’ I looked up at him and said, ‘I just wanted to be your teddy bear.’ That started our love affair,” she told the outlet in January 2026.

Their relationship, which lasted about nine months, later evolved into a lasting friendship that left a lasting impression on her life and career as an artist.

Connors tells PEOPLE that Presley “was very special,” and that the documentary has “some stories that you wouldn’t have heard because they were pretty personal between Elvis and me.”

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While reflecting on other experiences that have shaped her perspective, Connors recalls an older interview she did “many years ago” with PEOPLE where she was asked about her secret to success after decades in the industry. 

“I said, ‘If you don’t eat it, sleep it, think it, drink it, need it, forget it. You have to have laser beam clarity,’” Connors tells PEOPLE now. “And I really, really believe that. And if all your dreams and wishes were coming true again, I don’t have the right to be unhappy.”