These are her confessions.
William Daniels’ wife, Bonnie Bartlett, confessed to having a months-long affair with a “slightly boring” actor.
In her 2023 memoir, “Middle of the Rainbow,” the “Love of Life” actress said she began looking for a “kinder and gentler man” in the early years of her marriage with the “Boy Meets World” alum, whom she wed in 1951.
Bartlett, now 96, wrote that she had “an affair that lasted a few months” in 1959 with an actor who was “slightly boring.” However, she admitted that “the sex was good.”
“I never felt guilty because I never felt tied to fidelity, and neither did Bill,” she penned.
The “Little House on the Prairie” alum’s fling eventually blew over.
Though Bartlett was having fun on the side, she wrote that she became “devastated” when her husband had an affair with a producer in the ’70s. She realized she “could no longer tolerate any kind of open marriage.”
Last week, the longtime couple — who are slated to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary next month — clarified earlier remarks made about their “open marriage.”
“It’s funny, the press will pick up on something and make more of it than it was,” Bartlett told the Daily Mail.
“There was never any discussion as to what we were going to do, but in 75 years, the two of you together, you know, it would be abnormal if you … weren’t attracted occasionally to other people,” she shared, adding that “there have been times, yeah, both of us, on both sides.”
The “St. Elsewhere” actress explained that she and Daniels, 99, never discussed an “open” arrangement.
“Bill and I never sit down and make rules,” she told the outlet. “We never sit down and talk about these things. We just don’t. We just live our lives. And if he’s away for a year, he’s away for a year.
“Our lives just went on, but we never got unhinged … We never got unhinged, but our lives did go in different directions occasionally,” Bartlett said.
The actress and Daniels — best known for playing Mr. Feeny on the beloved family sitcom “Boy Meets World” — tied the knot on June 30, 1951.
Ten years into their marriage, the pair welcomed son William Jr. However, he died 24 hours later. The actors later adopted two sons — Robert and Michael Daniels.
