Melissa Gilbert starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the NBC Series Little House on the Prairie from 1974 to 1984. According to Wikipedia, she beat out 500 child actresses for the part and it was Leslie Landon, Michael Landon’s daughter who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls.
I grew up watching Little House on the Prairie in the ’70s and ’80s. My family would faithfully watch it weekly. I remember vividly when I was 11 or 12, I could not stop crying because of this one episode. That is how LHOTP touched my life.
And so when I heard Melissa Gilbert will be one of the keynote speakers on June 7th at the Ultimate Women Expo in Anaheim, I planned my Saturday to see her in person.
Melissa Gilbert keynote speaker at Ultimate Womens Expo in Anaheim
Dressed in earth tone colors – an oversize transparent blouse paired with a maxi skirt, Gilbert looked beautiful. One of the topics she mentioned during her talk was how she made important decisions in her life – she had her breast implant removed and staying away from Hollywood. “I made the decision to be exactly who I was and not try to conform to other people’s ideas who I should be as an actor in Hollywood and I had my breast implant removed… forever. When you put those things in, you have to have them replaced every 10 to 15 years. So I’m looking down the road, I’m 51 years old …and I’m thinking 85, and I’m gonna get new boobs…what is that? And I also sincerely believe that you only get so many chances of anesthesia in your lifetime…what if I need a hip ..and I have to choose between boobs and a hip.”
I made the decision to be exactly who I was and not try to conformed to other people’s ideas who I should be as an actor in Hollywood and I had my breast implant removed… forever.
Book Signing of My Prairie Cookbook
Gilbert also mentioned during her 20s and 30s were disaster. For so many years now she is trying to have a healthy life for her children because she needs to be around them. “I spent so many years trying to stay healthy and clean as much as I could . My 20s and 30s were a bit of a disaster, what can I say, it was the 80s.”
Recently, Gilbert became an empty nester. “My last one left for college.” But her face lit up when she said, “Last November my first grand child was born. I can’t wait to sit down with her and show her DVD’s of Little House on the Prairie. It’s just gonna be the coolest thing ever. It’s a great show. We all know it has all those great values, great stories to tell them…so moving. For her to see the kinda girl she could be… feisty… and say, ‘you know that’s granny’.”
As for her current life she said, “Current moment in my life I’m really happy. It took me a really really long time to get there. It really did.” She added, “Imperfection is absolutely beautiful.”
That’s really cool!