Melissa Gilbert, 60, reveals the REAL reason she left Hollywood to live on a farm

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...Hollywood.html

By Heidi Parker For Dailymail.com

Published: 13:01 EDT, 6 September 2024 | Updated: 13:12 EDT, 6 September 2024

Melissa Gilbert had to 'get out' of Hollywood after childhood stardom.

The 60-year-old actress starred on the Western series Little House on the Prairie as a child and continued to work throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

But eventually had to leave Los Angeles because of the 'pressures' she had faced over the years.

'All of the pressures, I faced all of them. When you live in Los Angeles, it's like living at the mall when you work at the mall,' she told People.

'Literally, everyone is in the business. When you walk into a restaurant, every head turns to see who walked in.

'Everybody's always looking, curious, competing and that's a really difficult thing, especially for a female actor.'

She added that she was sick of dieting.

'It puts a lot of pressure on staying thin and staying young and really it makes it hard to feel comfortable in one's own skin, because [of] the aging process,' said the beauty.

'So are you going to age comfortably and happily?

'Are you going to fight it, be unhealthy and feel like there's something wrong with you for aging and that you're defective because you've gotten older?

'I had to get out of there [L.A.], because it felt like I was not being authentically myself.'

The Diary of Anne Frank actress - who is now married to Timothy Busfield but has son Dakota, 35, with her first husband Bo Brinkman and 28-year-old Michael with her second husband Bruce Boxleitner - eventually moved to Michigan then New York state.

And she explained that all of her worries immediately subsided following her departure from the Californian city.

She said: 'In the five years that I was in Michigan, all of that stopped. … I stopped everything and just focused on being as physically and emotionally healthy as I could.

'And I think that shows, "Yes, I'm aging, but it's not a curse — it's a blessing."'

She was on the popular TV show Little House On The Prairie from 1974 until 1983, appearing in over 200 episodes.

Gilbert has a clothing collection called Modern Prairie.

The actress also models for the brand.

'Crafted in partnership with our incredible artisans, each piece is unique and special, reflecting our vision and their hard work,' she said earlier this year.

'From linens to ceramics, aprons to toys, there's something for everyone to bring a smile to your face. Have you checked it out yet? Better mosey on over to the Modern Prairie website because these limited-edition treasures are flying off the shelves!'

In November she launched an app for her Modern Prairie lifestyle brand targeted toward older women.

She cofounded Modern Prairie with retail and merchandising expert Nicole Haase.

Gilbert portrayed Laura Ingalls Wilder aka 'Half Pint' in the 1970s NBC series Little House On The Prairie adapted from the best-selling series of Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Little House On The Prairie premiered with a pilot movie in March 1974 and celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

'There are people who will perennially assume that I'm 12 years old,' Gilbert said. 'And I will always be that girl, full of wonder and running through the fields. Half Pint is inside me always. But we are all aging.'

The Modern Prairie brand brand offers clothing and home goods inspired by the Little House values of 'love, community and family' and are made by women-owned or women-run businesses.

Gilbert lives on a 14-acre farm with husband Busfield.

'We just love doing our silly little chores together, like cleaning out the chicken coop, and making sure they have their treats, and playing with the dogs,' Gilbert said.

'We play a lot of backgammon. We cook together. And really, we just like to sit next to each other in a room no matter where we are. We just really enjoy being together.'

Gilbert and Busfield have been married since 2013 and she credited him for offering her support as she embraced aging naturally.

'And when I would say, ''I think I'm going to stop coloring my hair,'' he'd say, ''Can't wait to see what color it is. This is so exciting!'' When I said, ''I think I want to get my breast implants taken out permanently,'' he said, ''Do it!'',' Gilbert said. 'It's incredibly uplifting to be with someone who says, 'I love you exactly the way you are.'''

Both Gilbert and Busfield had just gone through second divorces with their respective former partners when they started dating.

After getting married, Gilbert and Busfield moved to Howell, Michigan into a charming, restored Victorian-era home in August 2013, but later moved to a picturesque 14-acre Catskill Mountain cottage in New York.