"The Facts of Life" star Charlotte Rae really learned that you take the good and take the bad in life -- she is revealing that her 25 year marriage ended because her husband was gay.
The 86-year-old is currently shopping a memoir entitled "The Facts of My Life," in which she talks about her time as school headmistress Mrs. Garrett on "The Facts of Life" from 1979-1986. She also drops the bomb about learning that her husband, composer John Strauss, was gay and had cheated on her.
“First came the shock of what he had done behind my back, then the sting of being deceived for years,” she writes, according to an excerpt posted by the NY Post. “All I could feel was the betrayal and, worse than that, my shame.”
The couple had two children during their marriage, and had just moved to Los Angeles when Strauss broke the news and their relationship came to a halt in 1975.
“John's secret confirmed my feelings of inferiority,” Rae writes. “That I was less than a woman ... That I didn't deserve to be loved and valued.”
Despite the blow, Rae moved on to star on the hit show and has continued to act -- making appearances on "The King of Queens," "E.R." and even "Pretty Little Liars" -- and still looks great for her 86 years!
But how have her "Facts" castmates fared? Click "Launch Gallery" above to find out the fate of stars like Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields and Mindy Cohn, and do you know which current Oscar nominee had a recurring role on the series?
