In the 1940s, Betty got married twice — first to Dick Barker, then to Lane Allen. Neither marriage lasted long, with both ending in divorce.
She met her third husband Allen Ludden on the game show “Password” in the 1960s. He was the host, and the pair immediately hit it off. Betty was cautious to begin with, given her two failed marriages, but when she met Allen again on the set of a play they were both in, she knew this was the real deal and they started dating.
Unfortunately, the two stars lived at opposite ends of the country — Betty in California and Allen in New York. They maintained a long-distance relationship for a while, and eventually Allen proposed to Betty, only for her to turn him down as she didn’t want to relocate to New York.
Despite her refusal, however, Allen refused to give up. He persisted with the proposals and, eventually, Betty said yes.
The two tied the knot in 1963 and enjoyed successful careers while blissfully in love. Sadly, in 1981, Allen passed away from stomach cancer and Betty never remarried.
In an interview with Oprah, Betty revealed that her only regret in life was not spending more time with Allen in the 1960s.
“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,’” she told Oprah. “I wasted a whole year we could have had together.”
Betty also explained why she’s had no interest in a fourth marriage: “Once you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?”
Allen was clearly her one true love and they are so lucky to have found each other. Watch more from her interview in the video below.
What a wonderful marriage these two had, there shouldn’t be any regrets! Please share if you love this living legend.