“Waltons” star Michael Learned said she and onscreen husband Ralph Waite ‘were in love’

On-screen they were a devoted married couple, one of the most famous in television history, as Olivia and John Walton in the hit CBS series “The Waltons.”

They were always surrounded by children with each episode reiterating the importance of family and love — but off-screen their lives were far from the idyllic existence they depicted on the show.