Michael Learned, the 86-year-old actress who played Olivia Walton on the beloved TV series The Waltons, has revealed that she had strong feelings for her on-screen husband, the late Ralph Waite. In a recent Q&A session at The Hollywood Show in Burbank, California, Learned confessed that she "loved" Waite, but they never acted on their feelings for each other.

Waite, who played John Walton Sr. on the show, passed away in 2014 at the age of 85. Learned remembered him fondly, saying, "I just loved him, and he loved me. That was very real, and we were also very wise. We didn't sleep together in real life. We knew that that could just go downhill. So, as much as we loved each other, we were just very respectful of the show and who we were and who our characters were. So, we just remained dear, dear friends."

Learned's co-stars, including Richard Thomas, who played John-Boy, and Judy Norton, who played Mary Ellen, also shared their experiences working with him. Thomas praised Waite and Learned, saying, "Ralph and Michael were the gatekeepers of honesty on the show. Ralph was impatient with anything that was going to be fake, false, or reversed the guideline. Michael, same way. They were exemplars of keeping it honest and keeping it real and questioning and making sure that it was right. So, they sort of were the beacons of integrity for all of us as we all tried to do it, but they really were the leaders."

The cast also reminisced about memorable scenes, including the frequent dinner table scenes. Learned revealed that she never actually ate the food shown in the show, and Judy Norton shared a funny story about Ralph Waite's patience with the food scenes.

The cast also reflected on the impact The Waltons has had over the years. Eric Scott, who played Ben Walton, said, "I don't think anybody expected that 50 years later people would still be talking about the show. I think there was authenticity in the relationships on the show that was real. I think that what people saw between us was real. Essentially, when we were all together, it was a great love story, and people responded to that."

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