Florence Henderson Talks Affairs & STDs

Please wait...

Florence Henderson Talks Affairs & STDs

September 20, 2011

The world's most famous TV mom, Florence Henderson, lets it all hang out in her new memoir, which reveals struggles with depression and a one-night stand with a former New York mayor that gave her an embarrassing STD. The actress -- who famously portrayed perky Carol Brady on the '70s TV classic The Brady Bunch -- sits down with The Insider's Kevin Frazier to discusses her explosive new book, Life Is Not a Stage.

One of Henderson's most shocking revelations is that she claims decades ago she had an affair with former New York Mayor John Lindsay, a one-night stand that resulted in her contracting pubic lice. The actress -- who was married to Ira Bernstein at the time -- said she was floored when she learned of the STD.

Henderson also addresses her battle with postpartum depression and the persistent rumors -- even continuing to this day -- that she had an affair with Brady Bunch co-star Barry Williams, who is 21 years her junior. "As much as I've talked about it and Barry's talked about it -- we've told exactly what it was. People still want to believe that we actually got it on. I mean, it just amazes me. And we didn't. Now I would consider it."

She also talks about the tragic loss in 1992 of her TV husband, Robert Reed, who suffered from cancer and had tested positive for HIV. "He called me one day, and he said that he wasn't doing well and he wasn't going to make it -- and will you tell the kids -- I get emotional. Anyway, it was sad because to think he was the father of America and he had to be in a closet."

Henderson said The Brady Bunch continues to be a hit all over the world and her fan mail is always growing. "I'm getting mail recently from Russia and Poland. I've always gotten mail from Germany, I get it from India, very flowery letters from the Far East. And I get a lot of young guys on my website wanting to know whether I would consider dating them."