'Didn't work well': William Daniels' wife Bonnie Bartlett says their initial open marriage was 'painful'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bonnie Bartlett and William Daniels’ enduring 72-year marriage is the stuff of dreams, but it seems to have come with its struggles as well. The 93-year-old actress opened up about her initial problems with accepting open relationships early in her married life with the ‘Boy Meets World’ actor. The couple have been married since 1951 and the actress’s admission comes now as she releases her memoir, ‘Middle of the Rainbow.’
As per PEOPLE, the ‘St. Elsewhere’ actress has said that their marriage was "a little bit of an open marriage at first," and she termed it as "very painful." She said, "That didn't work well. And it was a time when people were doing that. It was at a time in New York when there was a lot of sex and a lot of people doing all kinds of things, you know – very free."
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Bartlett continued, "But I don't know if there was a lack of commitment a little bit, and that's not good. So there was a lot of pain connected with any transgression, with any extramarital thing." She added that she "never felt guilty" about any of the affairs that she had throughout the duration of their marriage, because she never felt tied to fidelity, and "neither did Bill." She admitted to having an affair with a co-star in the '50s, but her husband’s affair with a New York-based producer was what changed her outlook on their union and she said she "could no longer tolerate any kind of open marriage."
The pair overcame the marital discord to become one of the strongest couples in show business. "Life is all about solving problems. We had a very good relationship, [but] Bill was an angry young man, a very angry young man. And that was tough… Bill always said, 'We had three different marriages. We've been together for so long, more than 70 years – a long time.' I'm 93, and I met Bill when I was 18, so we had to grow up together."
Bartlett also stated that their ability to live a day at a time helped them to grow as a couple. "Bill and I have moved forward day-by-day and eventually, the days added up. We've been happy together and sad together, and somehow stayed together for seven decades."
Bartlett, however, admitted that they needed to get through that phase to become stronger. "It was something we had to go through because we never went through it," she said, adding, "When we got together, I was 18. Bill was my first boyfriend… We just had to go through all that and still, we loved each other very much and always have." She then goes on to add, "[We] have always been there for each other…That's what matters- if you're there for the person and help [them] along in a relationship, [have] respect for them and what they're doing and being there for them… [You have to] be together on the other side."