Gretchen Johnson came into the limelight after she tied the knot with the famous gameshow host Richard Dawson. The pair’s conjugal life lasted for around two decades until Richard’s demise in June 2012 due to esophageal cancer. Despite being the wife of a popular host, Gretchen has remained a private person and does not share anything about her personal life. However, there are a few secrets about her that we know about.

Gretchen first met Richard in 1981 when she participated in Family Feud as a contestant. The couple was instantly attracted to each other and started dating shortly after that. They eventually got married and had a daughter together, Shannon. In 1994, Richard was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and had to be hospitalized at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He later died of the disease on 2 June 2012.

He was also well-known for his roles in movies like 'How to Pick Up Girls!', 'Treasure Island' and 'The Devil’s Brigade'. He was a regular panelist on the TV show 'Match Game' and hosted 2,334 episodes of Family Feud.

He had a previous marriage with actress Diana Dors that lasted for eight years. The duo had two sons Mark and Gary from their marriage before they separated in 1966. Upon his death, Gretchen inherited his fortune and currently has a net worth of about $500,000. She does not appear in public frequently and has no children of her own so it is unknown whether she plans to get married again or live alone.