O'Neal says he'll marry Fawcett

LOS ANGELES, June 22 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Ryan O'Neal said in an exclusive interview with Barbara Walters for ABC TV's "20/20" that he and his longtime girlfriend Farrah Fawcett plan to wed.

Fawcett, 62, has been battling cancer for more than two years and reportedly is now bed-ridden.

She and O'Neal started dating in 1980 and have one son together.

"I've asked her to marry me, again, and she's agreed," O'Neal told Walters in an interview set to air Friday night.

"We will, as soon as she can say 'yes.' ... Maybe we can just nod her head," he added with a laugh. "I used to ask her to marry me all the time. ... But ... it just got to be a joke, you know. We just joked about it."

O'Neal, 68, assured Walters this time the plans are for real.

"I promise you, we will," he said. "Absolutely."