For millions, they were the perfect television siblings. As Keith and Laurie Partridge, David Cassidy and Susan Dey were the heart of The Partridge Family, their on-screen chemistry and musical harmony defining a generation. He was the world’s biggest teen idol, his face on every lunchbox and magazine cover. She was the beautiful, intelligent, and relatable girl next door. But behind the bright lights, the matching outfits, and the chart-topping songs, a very different and far more human story was unfolding—one that Susan Dey would hold private for nearly fifty years. Now, at 72, the famously private actress is finally revealing the complicated truth about her relationship with David Cassidy, a story not of a TV family, but of a secret crush, a public betrayal, and a profound, lingering regret.

It all began in 1970. Susan Dey was just 17 years old, a model with no acting experience, when she was thrust into the whirlwind of a hit television show. David Cassidy, already seasoned in show business, was a force of nature. “David was incredibly charming,” Dey recalled, admitting what millions of fans had long suspected. “He had that spark that drew everyone in… Of course I did. I had a crush on him.” In the beginning, their friendship grew quickly on set, two young people navigating an overwhelming new reality of fame. They spent endless hours together, rehearsing, recording, and filming the scenes that would make them icons. But Susan’s private affection was running headlong into David’s very public life.

The crushing weight of his fame meant David was living a “completely different life off camera,” pulled in a hundred directions by adoring fans and the pressures of being a global superstar. Susan’s feelings were not returned in the way she had hoped. But the real turning point, the moment that would define their relationship for decades, wasn’t just the unrequited love. It was when Cassidy, in the pages of a magazine, spoke about her crush in a way she found “somewhat dismissive.” In an instant, her deeply personal feelings were turned into a public headline. “I felt betrayed,” Dey stated quietly. She clarified the pain: “It wasn’t that he didn’t return my feelings, it was that he made something personal into a headline. That was hard to forgive.”

That public hurt created an emotional distance that would last for years. While she remained the consummate professional on set, helping maintain the wholesome spirit of the show, something inside had fractured. After The Partridge Family ended in 1974, Susan Dey made a conscious and determined effort to distance herself from that chapter of her life. While Cassidy embraced his past, Dey rarely spoke of it. She famously declined to participate in most reunions, and fans wondered why. She was building a serious, respected career of her own, winning a Golden Globe for L.A. Law, and she “didn’t want to be defined” by that one role. But part of that distance was also rooted in the personal hurt she had carried since she was a teenager.

Decades passed. The world changed, and they both lived complex lives. As time went on, Susan Dey’s perspective began to shift. Looking back, she revealed that the “bitterness she once felt toward Cassidy softened into compassion.” She no longer saw him as the boy who had hurt her, but as a young man drowning in a level of fame that few could ever comprehend. “Looking back now, I realize we were both just trying to survive that whirlwind,” she reflected. “He had so much pressure on him, more than people ever knew.” She began to understand the impossible position he had been in.

But this newfound compassion led to the most poignant part of her truth: a deep, lasting regret. She and David never had the conversation that was needed to heal the old wound. They never fully reconciled. And then, it was too late. David Cassidy passed away in 2017. “I wish we had talked one more time,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion. “There were things left unsaid. Apologies, maybe even forgiveness. But life doesn’t always give you that chance.” Her truth isn’t a story of scandal, but one of profound, quiet heartbreak. It’s the story of a young girl’s crush, a public embarrassment that caused a private rift, and the sad realization that some chances for closure are lost forever. “David will always be a part of my story,” she concluded. “We grew up together… i’ll always cherish the laughter, the long filming days, the music. Those were special years.”