Melissa Gilbert Reveals Secret to Successful Marriage With Timothy Busfield originally appeared on Parade.
Melissa Gilbert and her husband, Timothy Busfield, have been happily married for 12 years, and she revealed their secret to their successful romance.
“I think it’s part and parcel of the fact that it’s a partnership, that we do everything with the other one in mind, and we are very considerate of one another and we respect each other immensely,” Gilbert, 61, said of her marriage while appearing on the Tuesday, July 29, episode of Jennie Garth‘s “I Choose Me” podcast. “And so there are no decisions that are made singularly.”
She added that “everything is discussed, shared, and there’s so much comfort in that,” noting that the attitude has made their romance “much gentler and easier.”
Additionally, Gilbert credited Busfield’s “easygoing” personality for making their marriage work. “He’s just a really spiritual, grounded, easygoing guy,” she said. “I mean, you know, we all have our moments, but they’re so few and far between with both of us. Even our arguments are constructive.”
Prior to their relationship, Gilbert said that arguments were something that she was “afraid of” and that she did “really badly once I found my voice.” The Little House on the Prairie alum continued, “[I] picked too many fights just to have them.”
She admitted that her and Busfield’s arguments “can get really heated,” though they “usually end up laughing and then sitting down and talking it through.” Gilbert added, “And it never lasts for more than a couple hours max.”
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While they now have a great partnership, Gilbert revealed it wasn’t love at first sight for the pair. In fact, she and Busfield, 68, crossed paths twice before they started dating. “We actually first met many, many, many, many years ago in the ’80s, and then we remet in the ’90s. Now, we’ve been together for 13 years,” she said.
The pair reconnected in a bar in 2012 following her divorce from her second ex-husband, Bruce Boxleitner.
Melissa Gilbert Reveals Secret to Successful Marriage With Timothy Busfield first appeared on Parade on Aug 1, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
