 In January 1953 , Leigh travelled to Ceylon to film Elephant Walk with Peter Finch . Shortly after filming commenced , she had a breakdown and Paramount Pictures replaced her with Elizabeth Taylor . Olivier returned her to their home in Britain , where , between periods of incoherence , Leigh told him she was in love with Finch and had been having an affair with him . She gradually recovered over a period of several months . As a result of this episode , many of the Oliviers ' friends learned of her problems . David Niven said she had been " quite , quite mad " . Noël Coward expressed surprise in his diary that " things had been bad and getting worse since 1948 or thereabouts " . Leigh 's romantic relationship with Finch began in 1948 , and waxed and waned for several years , ultimately flickering out as her mental condition deteriorated . 
