Melissa Gilbert has made a heartbreaking admission about her experience as a child star as she calls for sweeping changes to protect young performers in Hollywood.
The Little House on the Prairie actress, 62, began working on the beloved series when she was just 10 years old, but has now revealed the devastating reality she faced behind the scenes following the death of her father when she was 11.
Writing in an emotional essay titled Enough Is Enough, Melissa recalled returning to work on the hit show just months after losing her dad, Paul Gilbert.
"My father died when I was just 11 years old and I was back working on Little House within months," she wrote. "And not one single adult on that set discussed it with me or offered condolences. I later found out that the fear was I would become too upset to work."
Melissa added poignantly: "I was 11, my Daddy had just died and I was shattered."
© Getty ImagesMelissa Gilbert's heartbreaking childhood experience
The actress said she found an unlikely outlet for her grief through her character, Laura Ingalls, who frequently had emotional scenes.
"Thank God my character cried in every single episode," she wrote, explaining that, however "twisted" it may sound, those scenes became a form of release for her.
Looking back, Melissa believes the experience also instilled a troubling work ethic in her from an extraordinarily young age.
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesShe described how child performers can become celebrated for being able to "deliver no matter what," regardless of whether they are physically or emotionally struggling.
Melissa admitted she subsequently worked while seriously sick or injured and feared being regarded as "unreliable" or a "diva" if she couldn't perform.
Her revelations come as she mourns the death of fellow former child star Hayden Panettiere, who died aged 36 on August 16.
Melissa also reflected on the deaths of Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase, writing that the loss of three women who had all experienced childhood fame made her feel that "something is very, very wrong."
© TwitterHayden Panettiere's daughter brings back painful memories
It is Hayden's 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, however, who appears to have brought Melissa's own childhood loss flooding back.
Hayden welcomed Kaya with her former fiancé, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, in December 2014. While Kaya primarily lived with her father in Europe, Hayden previously spoke about maintaining a close relationship with her daughter.
Melissa revealed that she couldn't stop thinking about the little girl now facing life without her mother. "I have this image in my mind of Hayden's little girl who will now grow up without her Mama," she wrote. "She is 11 years old. That's the same age I was when my father died."
Melissa said she was weeping as she wrote the words and wanted to "scream from the rooftops" that enough was enough. The actress is now calling for tangible changes within Hollywood, including accessible mental health support for child actors as they transition into adulthood.
Melissa, who served as president of the Screen Actors Guild between 2001 and 2005, also wants children to be given greater freedom to say no and to be protected from exploitation and the pressure to financially support their families.
Timothy Busfield's ongoing legal battle
Melissa's impassioned plea comes amid the ongoing legal battle involving her husband, actor and director Timothy Busfield. Timothy has pleaded not guilty to four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child relating to allegations involving two child actors who worked on The Cleaning Lady. He has denied the allegations, and his trial is currently scheduled for May 2027.
Melissa has publicly stood by her husband throughout the case. Earlier this year, she said she was "100% confident" he would be exonerated, while Timothy has sought to have the grand jury indictment dismissed.
© Getty ImagesHer latest comments are focused more broadly on what she believes is an industry-wide failure to adequately safeguard young performers, something she argues has become even more pressing in the age of smartphones and social media.
Melissa said the loss of privacy has intensified the pressure facing young stars, while calling for studios, networks and unions to work together to bring about "real, substantive change."
