Melissa Gilbert, forever known as Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie, recently opened up on the I Choose Me podcast with Jennie Garth about her on-and-off romance with Rob Lowe. The six-year relationship began when she was just 17 and ended when she was 23—but it left her emotionally scarred. She described the experience as “horrible,” saying his rising fame created pressures she wasn’t prepared for. Female fans would shove phone numbers into his pockets, ignoring her presence entirely, making her feel invisible.
Gilbert reflects that she felt like an “old sage” in the industry, having worked on Little House for years, while Lowe’s career exploded around her. The fandom that followed him after breakout roles like The Outsiders made the relationship disorienting—she expected glitz, not the brutal competition from other women.
While painful, the fallout was formative. Gilbert credits the relationship with teaching her what she wouldn’t tolerate in future relationships. Despite the emotional cost, she acknowledges there were still “really fun times” amid the turmoil. 
Now 61, Gilbert has embraced a quieter life. She left Hollywood and moved to Michigan in 2013 with her husband Timothy Busfield, choosing authenticity and health over image and fame. She considers aging a “blessing,” and says leaving L.A. restored her emotional well-being.
