An Inside Look At Bonnie Bartlett's Open Marriage With 'Boy Meets World' Star William Daniels

Bonnie and William have been married for 72 years and continue waxing stronger. But despite how inspiring and healthy their union might be, the Emmy Award-winning actress recently revealed in her memoir that there was a time the lovebirds' marriage wasn't blissful.

Bonnie disclosed that during the early stages of their union, she and William chose to have an open marriage in what became a very painful period of their lives. According to Bonnie, the outcome was contrary to what they had hoped.

The Hollywood icon further explained that their decision to have an open marriage wasn't uncommon at the time, as many couples in New York were doing all types of things freely. She further added per ET:

"But I don't know if there was a lack of commitment a little bit, and that's not good."

As a result, Bonnie admitted there was a lot of pain connected with any transgression or extramarital affair.

Besides the pain she felt, the actress also opened up about how she looked for a kinder and gentler man than the Boy Meets World star during the early days of her marriage.

Bonnie wrote that the affair lasted for a few months in 1959. She noted that even though it was with a slightly boring actor, the sexual experiences she had with him were good. The actress said she felt no guilt about her actions, as she and her husband never felt tied to fidelity.

However, Bonnie's mindset on infidelity changed in the early 1970s when William began seeing a producer, which devastated her. According to the icon, the experience made her conclude that any kind of open marriage was no longer tolerated.

Although the decision to keep their marriage open was annulled, Bonnie said she wasn't sure her marriage would recover from the affair. However, the pair stayed together and moved forward daily, which eventually helped their marriage.

While Bonnie admitted that having an open marriage was painful for her and William, she explained that they needed to experience it because they never went through it.

According to the star, she was only 18 when she began dating her husband. She also noted:

"Bill was my first boyfriend. We just had to go through all that and still, we loved each other very much and always have."

For Bonnie, what mattered was that they were always there for each other. According to her, it was important for one to be there for their partner, help them along in a relationship, and have respect for them.

Hopefully, Bonnie and William will remain together until the end and continue to show the world that a couple can successfully overcome challenges, no matter how difficult they might be.