Why Melissa Gilbert Says Anti-Aging Is Her "Least Favorite Expression"
Ever since Melissa Gilbert portrayed Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, she has captured the attention of those working in Hollywood. While she made a name for herself on TV, she's now getting personal about how being in the limelight affected her outlook on aging.
Ahead of her highly-anticipated appearance on Hallmark's hit drama When Calls the Heart season 12, the actress got personal about her life and career with Page Six. In the interview published on January 25, Melissa shared how she chose to move away from Hollywood in 2013 and settle in New York City with husband Timothy Busfield. Given how her career has largely been based out of Los Angeles, she explained there was a specific reason behind the coastal change. For her, it had to do with the idea of wanting to live in a welcoming space that allowed her to naturally age without feeling the need to change herself.
"I just didn’t feel like [Hollywood] was a safe place for me to age," Melissa told the outlet. "It’s so anti-aging, which is one of my least favorite expressions in the world. Anti-aging means dead."
But that's not all Melissa stated on the personal subject. She also noted her feelings on needing to conform to model beauty standards while living in L.A., which affected her mentality on the natural cycle of aging. She also noted hat when she did make the big move to New York, not only did her opinions on getting older change, but she's been so happy to embrace it as she enters a new era in her life.
"I went from, 'Oh God, I better not get older!' to 'Oh God, I’m so glad I’m older!'" she added. "I love the age I am right now. Sixty has been the most incredible year, just to look back on all the things I’ve done and to know that I’ve earned my opinions, I have value, I am wise. I have done so much and I continue to do it and it’s not over by any stretch of the imagination."
We so appreciate how open Melissa is on this subject, and this isn't the only time she's been candid about aging in Hollywood. Back in May 2022, she spoke to People about feeling comfortable in her own skin after years of being in the spotlight.
"I grew up in an industry that values the outside considerably more than the inside, and I was caught in that wheel of trying to stay young," she said at the time. "I'm finally happy in my own skin. I'm so grateful and relieved and so much happier."
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