Back in the ’60s, Betty White was still busy with her television career. She also met her third husband through a guest TV appearance. She revealed a regret tied to the relationship and how fans talked to her about her celebrity relationship during The Golden Girls.
Betty White met Allen Ludden on ‘Password’
White played Vickie Angel on the show, Date with Angels from 1957 to 1958. Her character was recently married to Gus (Bill Williams) and the show followed them in comical situations.
This was White’s second reoccurring television role so she had a decent television career at the time. She was also single after previously being married twice. Her first husband was Dick Barker, and her second was Lane Allen. That changed when she appeared on the game show, Password.
The show would have two teams, each one consisted of a celebrity and a contestant. They would then give each other clues to get a mystery word. Allen Ludden hosted the show and White met him when she appeared on it. They developed a relationship from there and eventually got married in 1963 after Ludden proposed twice.
White regrets not spending more time with him
White and Ludden’s relationship wasn’t always easy. White lived in California, while Ludden was in New York. The actor said she regrets how she handled their distance from each other.
“I spent a whole year, wasted a whole year that Allen and I could have had together, saying, ‘No, I wouldn’t marry him. No, I won’t. No, I won’t leave California. No, I won’t move to New York,” White told Oprah Winfrey. “And I wasted a whole year we could have had together. But we made it. We finally did.”
The couple stayed married for 18 years until Ludden died of stomach cancer in 1981. White didn’t marry again after that.
Other widows would write to her during ‘The Golden Girls’
The actor opened up about her husband’s illness, according to Closer Weekly. “Neither radiation nor chemotherapy ordered hope, and after much consultation, we opted against either one,” White said. “We decided to move on and make the most of every day for whatever time we had together.”
White continued her television career after losing her husband. She eventually starred on The Golden Girls in 1985 and fans still remembered Ludden. Widows would write her letters asking for advice.
“There’s no formula. Keep busy with your work and your life,” she said. “You can’t become a professional mourner. It doesn’t help you or others. Keep the person in your heart all the time. Replay the good times. Be grateful for the years you had.”
White has continued to keep busy. The funny actor said she plans to continue to work instead of retiring.
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