Newt Gingrich, Tom Selleck, Melissa Rivers recall Nancy Reagan's strength and grace

SIMI VALLEY >> Politicians and Hollywood stars all praised former first lady Nancy Reagan for her grace, power and willingness to do what she felt was right for her husband, President Ronald Reagan.

As Nancy Reagan was laid to rest Friday, mouers including former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich recalled the devotion the Reagans had to each other as Mrs. Reagan lovingly took care of her husband for 10 years as he battled Alzheimer’s.

• PHOTOS: The Nancy Reagan funeral service in Simi Valley

“It was a remarkable and difficult time,” Gingrich told reporters assemled outside the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. “I remember talking to her, and she said, ‘It’s such a cruel disease because the person looks the same, but you can tell in their eyes they’re not.’”

• MAIN STORY: Nancy Reagan lovingly remembered at Simi Valley funeral service

Former Califoia Gov. Pete Wilson, who knew the Reagans since the ’60s, also praised the couple’s unwavering love. “She and the president were the loves of each other lives. It was a real affair,” he said.

Actor Tom Selleck said that when he attended a campaign dier with the Reagans, he recounted how President Reagan excused himself after the main course and disappeared for about five minutes, then came back with dessert for the woman he loved.

“It wasn’t for us at the table, it was for her,” Selleck said. When asked if it was a real story, he nodded his head yes.

Mouers also reflected on the influence Nancy Reagan had on her late husband.

President Reagan may have been a strong leader, they said, but he was dependent on his wife.

• VIDEO: Media and mouers gather for Nancy Reagan funeral

“Together they achieved the extraordinary and benefited us and benefited civilization,” publishing executive Steve Forbes shared. “Neither could have been what they were without each other.”

Melissa Rivers laughed as she recounted listening to her late mother Joan Rivers’ conversations with Nancy Reagan, adding that her mother only chimed in at the end with a nod or agreement.

“She was a lady, and it’s an end of an era,” Rivers said. “She was one of the great grande dames.”

Larry King, who conducted numerous interviews with the first lady when he was at CNN, admitted she would be hesitant at first and very protective.

Over the years, the two became friends. Outside of the media spotlight, King said she was fun, recalling the day he went out to lunch with the Reagans and they happened upon a wedding party. “We became part of the wedding,” he shared. Somehow Nancy Reagan became the unofficial flower girl, he joked.

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King said he felt Nancy Reagan got a bad rap during the first two years of Reagan’s presidency.

“She was a strong force in the White House and a great first lady,” he said.