Sally Struthers Loves Samantha, Her Only Daughter, Very Dearly

Sally Struthers is well known for her signature blonde curls and sparkling blue eyes, and especially for playing Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie and Edith Bunker in the revolutionary sitcom All in the Family, which ran for nine seasons.

Additionally, the actress starred in other notable TV shows like Nine to Five, General Hospital, and Still Standing. While her career on TV was blooming, she decided to start a family and welcomed a daughter, Samantha, during her marriage to psychiatrist William C. Rader.

Sally Struthers’ marriage and motherhood

Towards the latter end of All in the Family’s run, Sally tied the knot with Rader in Los Angeles on December 18, 1977. A year later, she welcomed a baby. The actress revealed to People in 1981 that she initially never wanted a child, but she later changed her mind because of her husband.

“Before I met Bill, I never wanted a baby. I was always the first one to say that it wasn’t going to make me fulfilled, that I didn’t need a carbon copy of myself,” she told the news outlet. “Then you fall in love with someone, and you want to be the mother of a child that is part of that man, the result of your loving each other.”

RELATED: Whatever Happened To Sally Struthers, Gloria From ‘All In The Family’?

However, after several appearances as the perfect couple, their relationship nosedived and Rader ended the marriage in 1983.

Sally Struthers’ challenge as a mother

The 75-year-old claimed that her journey into motherhood was quite challenging and that the events of her pregnancy and childbirth clairified her decision not to have more children. The actress certainly loves her daughter even though she thought she would have a son.

In an interview hosted by Leta Powell Drake, Sally reflected on what it was like to welcome her daughter into the world, the panic she initially felt, and the fact that at first, her child didn’t even have a name. Ultimately she decided to use a nickname that her own mother had given her when she was a kid, “Samantha Featherhead.”

Meet Samantha, Sally Struthers’ only child

Samantha was born in 1978 to Sally and William. Not much information is known about Samantha other than the fact that she is a clinical psychologist. She is also quite active on social media, and a series of posts on Facebook and other platforms to promote her practice.

Samantha is highly passionate about her career and developed her therapeutic practice, Source Code, following 18 years of training as a psychotherapist.  Her motivation for striking out on her own is stated on her company’s official website:  “To allow individuals to connect with their true essence, which vibrates with ease, joy, and love.”