Rob Lowe and Melissa Gilbert had a highly publicized, on-and-off relationship that lasted for six years, from 1981 to 1987. Both actors were just 17 years old when they began dating. At the time, Gilbert was already a massive television star from her role as Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie. Meanwhile, Lowe was a rising talent whose career completely skyrocketed during their relationship due to “Brat Pack” films like The Outsiders.
The two met briefly at age 14 but officially began dating at 17 after crossing paths at a traffic light. In her memoir Prairie Tale, Gilbert recalled falling “instantly, hopelessly and stupidly in love.” Gilbert has described the relationship as “very tumultuous,” largely because she was unprepared for Lowe’s rapid rise to heartthrob status. She noted that female fans would completely ignore her, pushing right past her to slide phone numbers into Lowe’s pockets, which she called “hard and horrible.”
As Lowe’s fame grew, so did his reputation as a Hollywood “bad boy.” He later admitted to being unfaithful multiple times throughout their long-distance relationship, including liaisons with co-stars like Nastassja Kinski and Demi Moore. After discovering Lowe’s infidelity, Gilbert had a brief retaliatory fling with actor John Cusack, one of Lowe’s good friends, which she described as her own private “screw you.”
Despite the ongoing drama, Lowe proposed to Gilbert in 1986, and she accepted. Shortly after the engagement, Gilbert learned she was unexpectedly pregnant. When she told Lowe, he admitted he was not ready to be a father or commit to a family, which caused the relationship to unravel for good in 1987. Shortly after their final breakup, Gilbert suffered a devastating miscarriage. She wrote in her book that losing both her baby and her relationship with Lowe “hurt like hell.”
Despite the painful ending, both stars eventually found closure and managed to maintain a mutual respect and friendship in their later years. Both wrote openly about the relationship in their respective memoirs. Gilbert eventually found long-term happiness, marrying actor Timothy Busfield in 2013. Lowe has been married to makeup artist Sheryl Berkoff since 1991.
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