Melissa Gilbert, a well-known Hollywood actress, had a troubled love life with Rob Lowe and a variety of vices during her career.
The adored Laura Ingalls character from “Little House On The Prairie” in the 1970s gained popularity thanks to Melissa Gilbert. Her portrayal of Laura was so realistic that many young girls wished they could live the life of the TV character.
Gilbert was the ideal actor for the part, but she secretly secretly wanted to be Laura. Gilbert’s life was not simple, sadly, and being in the spotlight made it worse. Here is a glimpse into her turbulent childhood.
As an adopted child growing up, Melissa Gilbert was aware of this. Melissa was even aware of her birth parents and the circumstances surrounding her adoption. She had a challenging existence despite having two parents who appeared to be caring adoptive parents.
She was adopted by Barbara and Paul Gilbert, and as she grew older, her parents saw that she had some potential. From 1974 to 1983, Melissa secured the role of the late Michael Landon’s daughter as Laura Ingalls.
Although Melissa’s TV character and she had the same age, their lifestyles were not the same. She claimed that she had grown up more of “a dork” and had a stable family environment.
The child star turned superstar actress gained exposure to Hollywood life as she developed in the public light.
Melissa used drugs and alcohol when she was a young adult. Trysts, Hollywood playboys, drugs, drunkenness, and three nose jobs before the age of 20 all contributed to her popularity as an adult.
She wrote about all of these in her memoir, “Prairie Tale,” which recounts the turbulent events of her real life. Her troubled relationship and teenage love life with fellow actor Rob Lowe was another key feature of her early existence.
Melissa met young actor Rob Lowe while living the fast life and rock star lifestyle, and they became friends. In an interview with “Access,” Melissa recounted that she met Lowe when she was “14 or 15.”
Lowe ran up to the “Christmas In My Hometown” actress and introduced himself as a young actor, she said. Later on, he would admit that he had hidden his script inside his jacket so that she could see that he was an actor.
They continued to be pals in the industry after that day, but becoming adults changed everything. The actress remembered how their interaction developed into a romantic one.
Years after they ceased to be friends, Melissa and Lowe ran into one another. She explained that Lowe had pulled up at a stop as she was driving home from the “Prairie” set. Melissa also mentioned that her hair was pulled up in a bun and that she was still wearing makeup.
They exchanged contacts as a result of their reconnection. The two continued to date while dealing with a turbulent love life.
Prior to Lowe, Melissa dated a few aspiring Hollywood actors, including Tom Cruise. They first connected when she ran into Cruise at a function he attended with Emilio Estevez.
According to Melissa, who said it made her excited, she and Cruise would frequently engage in makeout sessions in her mother’s living room. With Lowe, the appeal was on an entirely different level.
She characterized their initial discussion as “smooth and pleasant.” Their romance developed swiftly. Everything in Melissa’s life revolved on the young Lowe, for whom she had a deep affection.
It was Melissa who recalled a teacher comparing love to a hunger that permeated one’s entire body. “Falling instantaneously, hopelessly, and naively in love,” she noted.
Lowe and Melissa had their ups and downs, which resulted in their breakup. It did not last long, though, until Lowe returned and begged her to marry him.
She remembered the time he told her he desired her for all time. Melissa was speechless from disbelief. It took her a few days to recover herself after being so taken aback by his proposal.
Barbare assured Melissa that Lowe would make a fine husband when she revealed that Melissa was apprehensive to consent to marry him. Despite the fact that this assertion did little to help, Melissa agreed to marry her cherished partner.
But it did crumble to the ground. Melissa learned she was pregnant while she was in a panic over her upcoming wedding. Despite how startling this was, she hurried to tell Lowe the good news.
His response, though, was not the same as hers. Instead, Lowe broke to her that he could not possibly be a father, a spouse, or even a boyfriend. He was immediately overcome with panic. As she permanently left him to pick up the pieces, this broke Melissa. In her memoir, she stated:
“We split up. It completed its task. I believe we were simply too young.”
Melissa struggled to cope with what had happened to her after finding out she was pregnant. She debated whether or not to become a single parent, place the child for adoption, or terminate the pregnancy.
However, in the midst of her concerns, anguish, and pain, the “When We Last Spoke” actress lost her kid. Although the suffering was excruciating, Melissa praised her mother for supporting her during her melancholy.
A few weeks later, Melissa was reverting to her previous behavior and socializing with friends. She was hanging out with friends Glenn Zagoren and Howard Gilman on a crucial day when they introduced her to Bo Brinkman.
Six weeks into their courtship, Brinkman proposed, and she accepted. She married in a memorable Long Island ceremony. Brinkman and Melissa were about to share a kiss when firefighters entered the building and ordered everyone to leave.
Later, the couple would learn that it was a joke. 1988 saw the marriage of Melissa and Brinkman, and 1989 saw the birth of their son Dakota. After six years of marriage, the pair decided to separate in 1994.
The marriage had been plagued by infidelity from Brinkman and Melissa’s struggles with alcohol that began following her split with Lowe.
After her marriage to Brinkman ended, Melissa returned to her life as an actor. She was able to bring her son to filming locations despite being a single mother. On one of her workdays, she encountered Bruce Boxleitner.
They fell in love right away, and soon after they started having an affair. Melissa claimed in her autobiography that she once paid him a visit on the set, and that after spending some lovely time with him, Boxleitner became terrified.
Though he was afraid to confess it or move their relationship forward, he had fallen in love with her. Later, Boxleitner understood that he wanted to be with Melissa, so he went back and made the necessary adjustments.
The actor from “Scarecrow and Mrs. King” wed Melissa, adding to their blended brood. Boxleitner and Melissa both had children from prior relationships.
The actress from “Bless All The Dear Children” became pregnant once more, and the news of this caused complete shock. When he first claimed that she became pregnant to force him into marriage, Boxleitner was shocked.
He eventually apologized, explaining that he had panicked since he didn’t know how to care for another child. After Melissa’s child was delivered early, medical professionals ensured his survival. After that, Melissa put her two kids first.
Melissa maintained her battle with her drinking issue throughout her marriage to Boxleitner. But eventually, the actress reached a pivotal moment. She understood she had a drinking issue at that precise time. Melissa visited AA meetings and went to treatment. Then she developed sobe.
Prior to Boxleitner receiving a recording, their marriage appeared to be going well. In her autobiography, Melissa noted that her husband had called her when she was at work, yelling at the top of his lungs.
According to the tape’s contents, Melissa had a liaison. But no amount of compromise could save their marriage. After 16 years, Melissa and Boxleitner ultimately divorced.
Melissa and Timothy Busfield met in what appeared to be a scene from a romantic comedy in a pub. Because they frequented the same social circles, the two had first met twenty years previously.
As they conversed, they discovered they have a lot in common. In addition to purchasing a restored Victorian-style home in Howell, Melissa and Busfield got married in 2013.
Busfield once remarked in regards to his union with Melissa that he felt fortunate to have been able to wed her “without a chin.” When she dated Rob Lowe before waiting until she was in her forties, he claimed he had no chance of getting her.
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