Actress Sally Struthers has always been famously private about her love life – and, as it turns out, deliberately so. The All in the Family icon, now 78, revealed in a December 2025 interview with Woman's World that she has intentionally stayed single for more than four decades, choosing independence, stability and self-awareness over romantic relationships.
"I constantly put my blinders on and got into horrible relationships," Sally admitted, reflecting candidly on her earlier dating experiences. After divorcing psychiatrist Bill Rader in 1983, she made a conscious decision to step away from romantic partnerships altogether. "And I’ve never, ever missed having a love life," she said.
Instead, the actress has built a rich and supportive personal world centred around family and close friendships. She shared that her nephew and his wife have effectively become her family unit. "We respect and love one another, laugh and cry together – and it’s better than being married," she explained.
Sally was married to Bill from 1977 to 1983, during the height of her fame on All in the Family. The actress kept her marriage largely out of the public eye, later recalling how fans often confused her on-screen husband, played by Rob Reiner, with her real-life spouse. Speaking to Page Six in 2024, she laughed: "When [fans] saw me with my real-life husband, they’d go, 'Now where's your husband?' I'd say, 'This is my husband.'"
The former couple welcomed one daughter, Samantha, born in May 1979. Sally has previously spoken about how motherhood wasn’t initially part of her life plan. In an interview with People, she admitted, "Before I met Bill, I never wanted a baby… Then you fall in love with someone, and you want to be the mother of a child that is part of that man."
Since her divorce, Sally has not gone public with any serious long-term relationships – though she has shared one surprising chapter from her past. Earlier this year, she revealed on the Let’s Talk About That! podcast that she once dated Elvis Presley. "That was fun," she said fondly. "He was probably the nicest man I ever met… just all about kindness to everyone."
Still working steadily at 78 – and beloved by a new generation for her role on Gilmore Girls – Sally has said her independence continues to motivate her. Speaking to Next Avenue in 2024, she explained: "I’m not married. I don’t have a husband or a partner. I’m in charge of keeping the house. I live in a 103-year-old house, and something’s breaking down every third day, and I have to pay my bills. So even though I’m tired, I keep going. I do believe in the adage, 'You rest, you rust'. So I’m glad that this work that I have to do to pay my bills keeps me going, because I'm pretty spry.'"