Debi Mazur reveals her famous best friend has never matched the passion of her toxic marriage

They've been best friends since they met in an elevator in the '80s.
So when Debi Mazar, 48, dishes on Madonna, 54, as she did on Watch What Happens: Live with Andy Cohen, it's a good idea to sit up and take notice.
Cohen fired quickfire questions at the actress, who revealed that the love of her friend's life is still 'Sean,' and though she wouldn't confirm that she was referring to Madonna's ex, Mr Penn, 52, it's a safe bet to assume she was.

Firm friends: Madonna and Debbie Mazur pictured together in 2008, they've known each other since the '80s

Madonna herself said as much in 1991 documentary, Truth or Dare, but that was before her marriage to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director, Guy Ritchie.

In the documentary a dancer says 'Who is the love of your life?' and Madge says, word for word: 'My whole? Sean,' and looks embarrassed.

But it seems that it still holds true, the pair - who have birthdays just a day apart - are friends these days, despite a turbulent relationship at the time.

Penn was seen leaving her Staples Centre concert last year.

Love of her life: Madonna and Sean at their wedding on her birthday in 1985, his is just a day later

Cohen also learned that Madonna smells like gardenias, loves salted fish and is a feisty Leo, like Penn.

'Did Madonna ever steal any of your boyfriends?' Cohen asked her, Mazar said yes, but then backtracked.

She also explained that Madonna used to get 'spiritual baths' and 'blessings' from self-professed witch, Mama Elsa of The Real Housewives of Miami.

Mazar said of her meeting with the superstar, 'She came into my elevator, and a great song was spinning and she goes, ‘Hey, you wanna dance?' And I was like, ‘Yeah!’ And I parked the elevator, and we had a great dance together and then later on we danced some more.'

'From there on we became pals and started dancing and hanging out.'

Lost in thought: Sean Penn looked pensive after he left Madonna's concert at the Staples Centre in October

Penn and Madonna perhaps 'hang out' together these days, too.

Despite a tumultuous relationship marred with violence (but crammed with passion) that ended in Madonna reporting a nine hour attack at the hands of Penn to police, the pair are friends.

He may have hit her around the head with a baseball bat but staggeringly the pop icon said she's never felt a connection like it, and invited Penn to be with her at the birth of her daughter Lourdes by Carlos Leon sixteen years ago.

Busted: Penn was spotted but wanted to keep a low profile

Penn and Madonna married in 1985, and their four year marriage was notoriously toxic during their four-year marriage.

She has said that Penn all but destroyed her with his drinking, moods and taste for pornography.

And then there was his constant criticism and violence; once, he is said to gave tied her to a chair and beat her.

Another time, he hit her with a baseball bat. He threatened to shave her head. He chased her out of their hotel room.

Several times he promised to go to rehab or therapy, or to father a child with her, and she took him back.

Passion: Their marriage was doomed because of violence, but the passion between the pair has matured into a friendship

Clash: The couple's Malibu wedding in 1985, Madonna was happy to pose for official snap but Penn went completely over-the-top about privacy... brandishing a gun and grappling photographer to the floor

But it was passionate, Madonna has said privately that the fireworks between them were unlike anything she's ever experienced, before or since, and that includes her romance with Warren Beatty.

They met on the movie lot when Madonna was filming her Material Girl video, when Penn was already minor Hollywood royalty.

At 24, he was two years younger than Madonna, and they discovered that their birthdays were a day apart.

Penn insisted on privacy at their wedding that he became so enraged by the media helicopters hovering during their vows that once the five-minute ceremony was over, he returned to the house, came out with a gun and started shooting. It was the first of many tantrums over media attention.

Young love: Penn and Madonna in the midst of their stormy marriage

Who's that girl? Madonna was at the beginning of her ascendency when she met Sean, but her star rose beyond his

Worse was to come when the pair flew to Hong Kong in January 1986 to make the movie Shanghai Surprise. The film was a disaster - the first of Madonna's many cinematic turkeys - and by the time it had been made the marriage was hanging by a thread.

Penn's drinking exacerbated the problem. In an interview given a decade later, he admitted about his marriage: 'I was not of sober mind during most of it.'

In the late afternoon of December 28, 1989, Penn scaled the wall surrounding the Malibu house and found Madonna alone in the master bedroom.

According to a report filed by Madonna with the Malibu sheriff's office, the two began to quarrel. Penn told her he owned her 'lock, stock and barrel'.

When she told him she was leaving the house, he tried to bind her hands with an electric lamp and cord. Screaming and afraid, Madonna fled from the bedroom. What followed was a nine-hour ordeal which left her deeply shaken.

Growing apart: Sean and Madonna fought mercilessly when they were together

Penn chased her into the living room, caught her and bound her to a chair with heavy twine. Then he threatened to cut off her hair.

According to the police report, Penn was 'drinking liquor straight from the bottle' and the abuse went on for several hours, during which time he smacked and roughed up his victim.

He went out to buy more alcohol, leaving Madonna bound and gagged. Some hours later, he returned and continued his attacks.

Madonna said that he untied her after she agreed to perform a degrading sex act on him. She then fled the house and ran to her car.

A week later, Madonna called her lawyers and told them to file divorce papers, but she also told Deputy District Attorney Lauren Weiss she wished to withdraw the assault charges against her husband.

They never truly fell out of contact. When she was with Beatty, Penn called her repeatedly to say that he was too old for her. He called Beatty often, too, to tell him to leave her alone.

They were in touch again as she attempted to revive her film career with Evita, when she declared Penn to be, once again, her friend.

In fact, she welcomed him so warmly back into her life that it's said she invited him to be present at the birth of her daughter Lourdes, in 1996.

And it seems Penn can't quite let her go either. Late last year, while filming Milk, he had to kiss actor James Franco. After the scene, he texted his former wife: 'I just popped my cherry kissing a guy. I thought of you. I don't know why.'

Another fraught relationship began to heal last night as Elton John's partner praised Madonna after leaving a West Hollywood bar, despite the former's bitter feud with the queen of pop.

On his way out of the Abbey in West Hollywood last night, Furnish insisted there was no beef and revealed: 'I think she's a great artist ... she's an inspiration to all of us.'

According to TMZ, when quizzed about the sincerity of his comments Furnish said: 'Seriously ... I love her.'