Betty White's Spouse Wore Ring on a Chain around His Neck Hoping for a Yes — They Reunited on New Year's Eve

Betty White was one of those actresses that were known across generations. She loved her career, but the biggest highlight of her long life was the love she shared with her husband of 18 years, Allen Ludden. White refused his marriage proposal for a year which she ended up regretting.

Betty White was a renowned actress and comedian with a career spanning over eight decades. Age was never a reason to slow down for White; she continued to break many records till her last breath.

For a career-driven and self-proclaimed workaholic like White, building a family and finding love can take the back burner, but luckily for the actress, she found once-in-a-lifetime true love.

The actress met television personality and game show host sensation Allan Ludden on one of his shows, "Password," in 1961. White appeared on Ludden's show in the third week of its release, but she did not know that his wife was in the hospital in the last stages of her cancer battle.

The week White went on "Password" was also Ludden's wife's death. Later that summer, the pair's agents played matchmaking by booking them on the same job.

They spent three weeks with Ludden's three children and his two puddle puppies. White and Ludden hit it off instantly, and his kids loved their chemistry. The actress said the children would keep a record of every time she and Ludden complimented each other, which made them grow closer.

After three weeks of spending time together, White said Ludden went from saying "hello" to "will you marry me?" The actress did not take the talk show host's proposal seriously, but he was adamant about making her his wife.

White did not take the proposal to head because she was happily dating someone else, who she had invited to see the play that she and Ludden had been working on.

The play's last scene ended with a big kiss between White and Ludden, which might have gone on longer than it should have. Her partner at the time knew that the two were attracted to one another, even before White noticed her feelings for Ludden.

Ludden did not give up; he continued to propose to White for a year. It got to a point where the actress did not find it amusing anymore and would get angry.

But that did not stop him; he took it to the next step and bought her a ring, which White was not pleased with. Instead of putting the ring away, Ludden wore it around his neck and continued to go back and forth from New York to California, courting her to be his wife.

One Ester, Ludden gifted White with a "stuffed bunny with beautiful diamond sapphire earrings," and when Ludden called her that night, he finally got his yes.

Betty White Felt Blessed to Be a Stepmother

White and Ludden tied the knot in 1963, and she seamlessly blended into Ludden's life. She took in his children as her own and did not even feel the need to have biological kids.

The actress's choice to embrace being a stepmother inspired others in the same situation because White redefined parenthood.

One actress that was moved by White's take on being a stepmother was Sandra Bullock. After she married her ex-husband Jesse James, who had three children in his previous marriage, she realized that being a parent is not only about "breeding" but "I don't care what I get. I care what I give," said Bullock.

White also did not regret her choice not to have children. She believed that her compulsive character would not have allowed her to manage a career and motherhood.

Additionally, the actress truly enjoyed immersing herself in her career. She was the oldest woman to host "Saturday Night Live" and topped the show's ratings in 2008. When it came to her work, White was indeed an unstoppable force.

Nonetheless, White loved the life she and Ludden built; the couple was happily married for 18 years before Ludden died from cancer in 1981.

He passed just three days shy of the 18th anniversary, but White was grateful to have experienced the kind of love they shared. She even confessed that she regretted not accepting his proposal earlier.

Why Betty White Chose Not to Marry Again after Allen Ludden Died

After Ludden died, White was not involved with anyone seriously and never married again. When asked why she chose to live the rest of her life without a partner, she said, "I already had a love of my life."

She did not imagine marrying anyone else because she had already experienced the best. White also spent the rest of her days honoring Ludden.

The actress's long-time assistant Kiersten Mikelas revealed that White kept a picture of Ludden on her bedside and kissed it each morning, and in the evening, she opened the curtains a blew a kiss to the sky.

On December 31, 2021, White died peacefully in her sleep. She passed just a few weeks before her 100th birthday, but her death was still felt by her collogues, family, and long-standing fans.

White's agent and close friend Jeff Witjas released a statement and expressed that despite White approaching her 100th birthday, it somehow felt like she would live forever. Therefore, her absence will be felt, especially in the animal world she loved dearly.

Although White never feared death, Witjas revealed that one thing she looked forward to was being reunited with her beloved husband. She always believed that she would be with him again.