Betty White Reveals Why She Thought She Would Die Before Her ‘Golden Girls’ Castmates

At 99 years of age, Betty White is the last woman standing from the cast of the iconic television sitcom “The Golden Girls.” Though she has outlived her three costars Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty for over a decade, White recently revealed why she had always thought that she would be the first member of the cast to pass on.

Here are some of the best moments from “The Golden Girls.”

White Is The Last Surviving ‘Golden Girl’

In her memoir “If You Ask Me,” White explained that nobody is more surprised than she is that she is the last “Golden Girl” alive today.

“I always thought I would be the one who would go—particularly with ‘The Golden Girls,’ because I was the oldest,” she wrote. “But then we lost all of them, and I’m the only one left and I’m still functioning. I think, ‘How did that happen?’”

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Given her advanced age, White has lost many loved ones throughout her life.

One of the toughest losses for her was the 1981 death of her husband, game show host Allen Ludden.

In her book, White admitted that after Ludden’s passing, she had trouble making decisions on her own because she was so used to having her husband there to help her.

On Dealing With Loss 

“I think the toughest thing about loss, and the hardest challenge, is the isolation you feel in its aftermath,” she explained. “You spent so much time sharing your life with someone, talking through issues, even disagreeing about things, and all of a sudden there’s a hole.”

“There’s nobody there, and you think, ‘Well who’s in charge?’  My God, it’s me,” White added. “I have to make the decisions. I can’t share the decisions any longer. And that’s tough because you don’t fully trust your own judgment.”

In the decades since Ludden’s death, White has continued dating other men, and she has said that the secret to a good relationship is kindness.

“You don’t say the hurtful thing, even if you’re irritated or upset, because that sticks,” White once said. “That sticks around, or just chips off a little of the other guy’s self-esteem.”

Betty’s Secret To Youth

As for what she feels the secret to youth is, White believes that it’s her love of working with animals that keeps her going.

“I think everybody should have or cultivate a passion,” said White. “Don’t be afraid to really get hooked on something, because that will refurbish your energy, [and] it will refurbish your interest.”

Here’s hoping that Betty White has many more good years to come!

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Here’s some more clips of classic Betty White on “The Golden Girls.”

Editor’s Note: Updated Betty White’s age to 99.