Sally Struthers reveals she dated Elvis Presley ‘for a while’ as she dishes on romance: ‘Nicest man I ever met’

Sally Struthers revealed that she once dated the late Elvis Presley ‘for a while’ as she opened up about her past romance with the King of Rock and Roll. 

The Gilmore Girls alum, 77 – who claimed that she was ‘fat-shamed’ by Betty White – talked about her relationship with Presley during a candid interview on the Let’s Talk About That! podcast which aired last week on January 13. 

While talking to hosts Larry Saperstein and Jacob Bellotti, the pair asked the actress to tell some of her ‘favorite’ Hollywood stories from her decades-long career in the industry. 

‘I date Elvis for a while,’ Struthers shared, causing the podcast hosts to give shocked reactions upon hearing the revelation. 

‘That was fun,’ Sally continued, and then added of the Jailhouse Rock singer: ‘He was probably the nicest man I ever met.’ 

‘He was so polite and so kind and soft-hearted that you just couldn’t believe anybody that was that beautiful had never caught on that they were beautiful and gotten obsessed with themselves.’

The star also expressed, ‘He was just all about kindness to everyone, which is pretty great.’ 

Struthers did not delve further into the timeline of when she dated the performer, but she was previously married to psychiatrist William C. Rader. 

The former couple were married from 1977 until their divorce in 1983, and welcomed one child – a daughter named Samantha. 

Elvis – who passed away at the age of 42 in August 1977 – married Priscilla in May 1967, but later separated in 1972 after their daughter Lisa Marie was born four years earlier. The pair’s divorce was finalized in October 1973. 

During her latest appearance on the podcast, Sally also claimed that Betty White had once ‘fat-shamed’ her. 

She alleged that ‘passive aggressive’ White – who died in 2021 aged 99 – made a disparaging remark as the pair worked on a pilot for a new game show where they were offered a snack.

‘The plate was set in the middle [by White’s housekeeper], and it was cookies, I think,’ Struthers recalled. 

‘So I reached for a cookie and she said in front of everyone, “Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you, dear, you don’t need a cookie.” Sally said at the time she thought ‘that’s not nice.’

She said she feels comfortable discussing the alleged incident now that Golden Girls star White is dead, saying: ‘I know everybody loves her. They loved her so much. They signed petitions to get her to guest host Saturday Night Live. I know all that.’ 

The actress said White’s Golden Girls co-star Bea Arthur was much nicer to her when she guest starred on All In The Family’s second season.

She said: ‘Bea Arthur comes in and she’s a force of nature’ adding she was ‘filthier than a drunken sailor’ and ‘put all sorts of expletives in her lines to shock these men.’

White died on December 31 2021, just just weeks before her 100th birthday,

White, who capped a career of more than 80 years by becoming America’s sweetheart after Emmy-winning roles on television sitcoms, is believed to have died of natural causes at her home.

Sally also shared that she had feuded with All In The Family creator, Norman Lear, and stated that she ‘wasn’t a huge fan of his.’ 

The star took on the role of Gloria Bunker-Stivic in the CBS sitcom from 1971 through 1978. Her performance on show – which lasted for nine seasons – earned her two Emmy Award wins. 

Struthers also revealed that she attempted to leave the series after five seasons – and spent $40,000 on a failed legal bid to do so.

She claimed that Carroll O’Connor had been the first one to come up with the show’s idea through the adaptation of the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part. 

Sally expressed that O’Connor and a friend had worked on scripts for a U.S. version of the British series, ‘but they didn’t have the producer pow
er, money to make it happen.’ 

‘So, after shopping it around for awhile it wound up in Norman’s hands, and Norman pretended for the next 52 years that he created it.’ 

During the show’s run on CBS, the actress also recalled how Lear and his ex-wife Frances Loeb would host gatherings but would never invite her. 

The star stated the the former couple ‘would have dinner parties, and they would invite Carroll O’Connor and his wife Nancy. They would invite Jean Stapleton, who played Edith Bunker, and her husband Bill.’ 

However, the award-winning actress said, ‘I wasn’t in eight years invited to his home. It didn’t feel good.’

Last week, Sally was seen on an outing in Beverly Hills following her comments on the podcast episode. 

At the time, she also stood by her statements about Betty White and expressed that she ‘told the truth’ about the late star. 

As Struthers made her way to a parked car, she added, ‘I didn’t say anything terrible. I just told a true story.’