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Melissa Gilbert and Rob Lowe: Little House on the Prairie star recalls ‘tumultuous’ relationship

Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert has spoken about her “tumultuous” six-year relationship with Hollywood star Rob Lowe.

Gilbert and Lowe, both now 61, dated from 1981 until 1987.

“I guess looking back on those six years … I was such a baby when Rob and I were together,” she told Beverly Hills 90210 star Jennie Garth on her podcast I Chose Me.

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Melissa Gilbert and Rob Lowe, both now 61, dated from 1981 until 1987. (Getty)

I was 17 and we broke up for the last time when we were 23, and it was very tumultuous.”

“I felt like a bit of an old sage in the business at that point because I’d been doing it for so long.

“And I was still on Little House on the Prairie when we met, and it had already been years, and he was sort of starting out. He’d done a little bit of television. And so I was able to sort of sit back and watch this meteoric rise happen.

“I was still on Little House on the Prairie when we met,” Gilbert says of the romance. (Ron Galella Collection via Getty)
She describes the end of the relationship as “turbulent”. (Ron Galella Collection via Getty)

“I don’t think I was prepared for the stuff that came with it, necessarily.

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“I was prepared for all of having to go to premieres and things and award shows and all of that, but I wasn’t prepared for the fandom and frankly, the girls.

The 70s star spoke of attending events with Lowe and women who “just pushed right past me and stick phone numbers in his pockets and stuff”.

“To say it was disconcerting is doing it a big disservice,” she recalls.

“It was hard and horrible. I think I learned a lot about what didn’t work for me, actually, and what I wouldn’t stand for later on.”

“They hurt. They’re hard because they usually are born of heartbreak and angst, but those are really valuable and important lessons… We had some really, really, really fun times.”

‘I don’t think I was prepared for the stuff that came with it, necessarily.’ (Getty)

Gilbert said they broke up “for the last time” when they were 23.

Today, the actress describes her life as “so easeful” in comparison.

Gilbert has been married three times. Her current husband is actor Timothy Busfield, whom she married in 2013, and she described her life with him as “amazing”.

“There’s a groundedness to this marriage of ours and a comfort level,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert starred on Little House on the Prairie from 1974 to 1983 for nine seasons. (Bettmann Archive)
Gilbert said they broke up ‘for the last time’ when they were 23. (Getty)

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“And I think it’s part and parcel of the fact that it’s a partnership that we do everything with each other in mind.

“And we are very considerate of one another … and we respect each other immensely.”

The couple shares six children. Gilbert is mum to two children, and Busfield is father to four.

Little House on the Prairie cast

Little House on the Prairie cast: Then and now

The couple lives in the Catskills in New York State on a 40-acre property in a home they renovated.

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“It’s really magical up here,” Gilbert said. “There are a couple of deer that come around every day, that come for apples.”

Gilbert’s current husband is actor Timothy Busfield, whom she married in 2013. (Getty)

She said they also have “breathtaking eagles” and the occasional bear, and chickens that often end up in their living area.

Rob Lowe is married to former makeup artist Sheryl Berkoff, with whom he tied the knot in 1991. The couple shares two sons.

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