William Daniels, 99, and his wife Bonnie Bartlett, 96, have clarified the nature of their once open marriage, saying they never had set rules. The couple, married since 1951, discussed their non-monogamous past in a recent interview with the Daily Mail.
Bartlett, who revealed the open relationship in her 2023 memoir Middle of the Rainbow, said the arrangement was “non-spoken” and that they never sat down to make rules. “We just live our lives,” she said. She added that while they were occasionally attracted to other people, they “never got unhinged.”
In her memoir, Bartlett wrote that she had an affair in the early years of her marriage, seeking a “kinder and gentler man.” Daniels also had an affair with a TV producer in the early 1970s, which left Bartlett “devastated” and ended their open relationship.
Reflecting on their 75-year marriage, Daniels said, “I wouldn't be with anyone else in my life than this woman sitting next to me.” Bartlett previously told Fox News Digital that the open marriage was “painful” and “didn’t work well,” but credited their move to Hollywood with saving their marriage.
