Marc Anthony denies affair rumors over J.Lo split (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Singer Marc Anthony on Thursday denied rumors that secret affairs with other women broke apart his marriage to "American Idol" superstar Jennifer Lopez earlier this year.

In his first interview since the July announcement of the demise of their seven-year marriage that brought them twins, Anthony, the top-selling salsa artist of all time, told ABC's "Nightline" news program that their split was amicable.

"It wasn't some sensationalistic happening," he said, denying infidelity played any part. "It was a realization on both our parts, you know, It wasn't shocking...These things happen."

On whether he wanted the divorce, he said: "It was a decision that we made jointly."

Last week, speculation sparked in the media of a love affair between him and actress Jada Pinkett Smith, the wife of A-list movie star Will Smith. Anthony co-stars on Pinkett Smith's TV show, "Hawthorne."

But Anthony, 42, called such speculation on celebrities "almost like a sport."

"I will always love Jennifer, she knows that and my kids know that," he said, calling Lopez a "wonderful" woman, mother and friend.

The marriage was the third for Lopez, 42, and produced twins Emme and Max in 2008. The two were married months after Lopez's engagement to actor Ben Affleck ended, and days after Anthony's divorce from former Miss Puerto Rico Dayanara Torres was finalized.

Lopez' music career has been enhanced by Anthony's popularity within the Latin music market. The couple performed together in a 2007 tour called "Juntos en Concierto." They also worked on each other's albums and starred opposite each other in 2006 film "El Cantante."

This year, she became a judge on No. 1-rated television show "American Idol," and her single "On The Floor" has been a top 10 hit in several countries.

"It is sad, because you think about the impact about all those people that believed in you," Anthony told ABC. "But there is still life to live together through Max and Emme."

Since the split announcement Lopez, 41, has graced magazine covers and been spotted in various media and gossip pages while Anthony has stayed silent.

(editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Yahoo! News

Brady Bunch mom got crabs in affair with NY mayor (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – This would have made an interesting episode of "The Brady Bunch."

Florence Henderson, the actress who played perky mom Carol Brady in the beloved family sitcom, says she once got crabs after a one-night-stand with career politician John Lindsay, who was the mayor of New York City at the time.

Henderson, now 77, recounts in her upcoming memoir that she was cheating on her husband during the 1960s, and gave in to her better judgment when her married and unattractive friend put the moves on her over drinks at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

"I was lonely. I knew it wasn't the right thing to do. So, what did I do? I did it," she writes in "Life is Not a Stage," set for publication in September.

Henderson went home later that night, and awoke to a grisly surprise the next day as she saw "little black things" crawling over her bed and body.

An urgent call to a doctor took care of the problem, known medically as pubic lice, and Lindsay sent her flowers and a note of apology.

"Guess I learned the hard way that crabs do not discriminate but cross over all socioeconomic strata," Henderson writes. "He must have had quite the active life. What a way to put the kibosh on a relationship."

Lindsay, who died in 2000, was mayor of New York from 1966 to 1973. Before that, he was a U.S. congressman. He launched a brief bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972. His wife of 51 years died in 2004.

Henderson is probably best known for her work on "The Brady Bunch," a comedy about a blended family that ran between 1969 and 1974 and remains popular worldwide.

But the book devotes only a chapter to that part of her life, and she shoots down the oft-told story that she had an off-screen affair with Barry Williams, who played her eldest teen-aged stepson, Greg Brady.

"Barry did have a serious crush on me, which I understood and helped him get past," Henderson writes. "Let us just say that if he had entertained a roll in the hay with me, I would never have done it."

The two, separated in age by 20 years, remain good friends to this day, she adds.

For the most part, the book focuses on Henderson's childhood in an abusive home, her struggles with papal edicts about birth control, her Broadway stardom, and her second marriage to her therapist. Co-written with Joel Brokaw, it will be published by Hachette's Center Street imprint on September 20.

Yahoo! News