Betty White's Biggest Regret Is So Sweet, It Hurts

[joeybee12]

At 93 years old, Hollywood icon Betty White has had a lifetime's worth of experiences. She has worked alongside comedic heavyweights like Mary Tyler Moore, become one of the most nominated women in Emmy Award history, and appeared in everything from films to sitcoms to "Saturday Night Live." In her 75 years in show business, it seems like there isn't much White hasn't done. So, when the beloved actress looks back on her life, it's understandable that her biggest regret has nothing to do with her work or now-legendary career.

Sitting down with Oprah for an interview airing on "Oprah: Where Are They Now?", White reveals that her biggest regret is more personal and involves the love of her life, her late husband Allen Ludden. The two married in 1963 and were together for nearly two decades before Ludden passed away from stomach cancer in 1981.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/betty-white-husband-allen-ludden_n_6947532.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

The slideshow on the bottom of the article with photos from 50 years ago of Betty are fantastic!

[MADem]

1. He was the love of her life, and vice versa.

A fun clip from way back when...

[hifiguy]

2. May we all age with a fraction of the grace and wit

as has this wonderful, funny lady. Lurves me some Betty White.

[MADem]

3. I find her to be wonderful, too. What's not to love about a smart, sassy lady who loves animals? nt

[shenmue]

4. Nuffin!

[Enthusiast]

14. +1

[Enthusiast]

13. You always say the right thing.

[LittleBlue]

15. [phone]

[SummerSnow]

5. so cute...

I can call you Betty
And Betty when you call me
You can call me Al

--'You can call me Al' by Paul Simon

[closeupready]

8. Was THAT what that song was about?

I never knew that.

[ybbor]

12. I always thought it was abou Chevy Chase.

[djean111]

28. Looked it up, because I had read about it before -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Can_Call_Me_Al

The lyrics can be interpreted as describing a man experiencing a midlife crisis[1] ("Where's my wife and family? What if I die here? Who'll be my role model?&quot . However, as Paul Simon himself explained during the Graceland episode of the Classic Albums documentary series, by the third verse the lyrics move from a generic portrait-like perspective to a personal and autobiographical one, as he describes his journey to South Africa which inspired the entire album.

snip....

The names in the song came from an incident at a party that Simon went to with his then-wife Peggy Harper. French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, who was attending the same party, mistakenly referred to Paul as "Al" and to Peggy as "Betty", inspiring Simon to write a song.

One of my very favorit albums, by the way, and there is a pretty good documentary about making the album, and then Simon going back to Africa to visit some of the musicians, years later.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

21. that is the sweetest thing!

thank you, SummerSnow.

[nomorenomore08]

22. I though that song was about his stint at the Betty Ford Clinic, and trying to get sober in general?

[mountain grammy]

16. I really enjoyed that.

thank you MADem.

[MADem]

24. I love Betty White in all her decades!! You're quite welcome!! nt

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

27. Here's another great clip - they're wonderful in it

(Skip to 15:25)

[MADem]

31. They were newlyweds in that piece! Great show! nt

[brer cat]

6. She is a treasure.

I loved the pictures...I remember wearing those full skirts.

[lovemydog]

7. What a sweetheart! "At 93, do you have any big regrets?" Oprah asks.

"That I spent a whole year, wasted a whole year, that Allen and I could have had together," White says.

Prior to marrying, White says that she rebuffed Ludden's proposals for an entire year before agreeing to walk down the aisle. "[I said], no, I wouldn't marry him," she tells Oprah. "Saying, no, I won't leave California. No, I won't move to New York."

Though White now realizes how precious that time was, she is still grateful for the 18 years they did have as husband and wife. "I wasted a whole year we could have had together," she says. "But we made it. We finally did."

[closeupready]

9. It's the kind of regret that rings esp. true after you've met a great love.

And even more so if they've passed away. But I find that if you are honest with yourself, there were good reasons why things happened as they happened, rather than how you wish they WOULD have happened.

[Diclotican]

10. joeybee12

joeybee12

wow - is that Betty White? - I have, sad to say never been thinking about her as a young lady - just the old woman I do rembember her as... But she look nice there - But she is still a woman to reqon with - and not afraid of talking her mind about issues... Great old lady..

Diclotican

[YOHABLO]

11. She should inspire us all. She has a great attitude and wicked sense of humor.

[MisterP]

17. more photos of her homelife--real swaggy, I might say!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/12/betty-white-home-1950s-photos_n_3586439.html

[SoCalDem]

20. Wow.. we had that same corner table..

It was a handmedown we got when we married..lugged that heavy beast around until we sold it at a garage sale in the 1980's..

We kept the two end tables until two of our sons each took one when they moved out

[MADem]

25. Early appearance of the "sectional couch!" TWO televisions--one in the bedroom!

She was livin' the dream!

[tabasco]

18. She is so cool.

Ludden was very good on TV, too. Very smooth and natural.

[Frank Cannon]

30. He was among the very best of the game show hosts.

He always radiated an air of being an all-around relaxed and cool guy.

[raven mad]

19. And she's still beautiful

because all that inner goodness always shines.

[Enrique]

23. i'm interested, but if I go to Huffington Post my computer will crash n/a

[oberliner]

26. Now that is a click bait headline if I've ever seen one

HuffPost is getting really annoying with those.

[TBF]

29. Beautiful lady - inside and out. K&R nt

[Bluenorthwest]

32. When I was 18 I was a contestant on Password Plus, hosted by Allen who was a very sweet man.

Allen was taking some thick green liquid and eating a special diet, he was already ill I guess. I'd been watching Password for years and years and it was great fun being there. When I won 'The Lightening Round' and the 5 grand, I was of course very excited but I was surprised in that moment that Ludden was authentically thrilled for me. I was really taken aback by his presence in the moment. He'd seen such wins many times. But he still had that kick, that charge from the work. Allen did not phone it in.
I was sad when he died, because I'd seen enough of him to know he was really a nice and fun person, and it was apparent when he spoke of her how much he loved his wife. It was all over his face.

[msanthrope]

33. Do you have any clips of that? nt

[Bluenorthwest]

34. I do not. I have considered seeking it out....

It would be fun to see. I used the money to fund a career that Allen would have been proud of, and my friend who had been on a few weeks before and inspired my attempt won far more than I did, moved to NY and is today a novelist and screenwriter. She won about 30K in 1978 dollars. The Password Artistic Grants.

[msanthrope]

35. The Paley might have it. Or the Library of Congress.

If you ever get it, please post it here!

[Javaman]

36. I can understand that...

I met my girlfriend when I was 39.

my biggest regret is that I didn't meet her earlier in my life so we could have spent that additional time together.

we are together now 12 years and it breaks my heart sometimes when I think that one day we won't be physically together.