Melissa Gilbert (Little House on the Prairie): Drugs, Botox, Surgery... Excess and New Life
You all know his face. Finally, that of Laura Ingalls. Because Melissa Gilbert, revealed in 'La Petite Maison dans La Prairie', did not resist the call of the scalpel. 'I woke up and I said to myself: but 'You look like a carrot!'. I cut my hair, stopped Botox and everything else...', she has just confided. A look back at the chaotic journey of America's darling child: his adoption, his demons, cosmetic surgery, his secrets...
An inimitable credits, which still resonates today in the hearts of fans of 1980s series. On screen, we discovered Mélissa Gilbert, then aged 10, in the guise of Laura Ingalls, granddaughter while petticoats and long braids, in The Little House On The Prairie . Saga portraying the ideal family with its cult woodcutter dad, Charles Ingalls. A melody of happiness version of American pioneers in the heart of 19th century America. A painting that was obviously not always pink (who doesn't remember the cruel Nelly Olson?), but it propelled the little Melissa Gilbert in icon of Pop culture.
Melissa Gilbert, a complicated childhood on the prairie
But if in front of the camera, everything looked like a country fairy tale, behind the scenes, Melissa Gilbert, born May 8, 1964 in Los Angeles, California , says he had trouble managing this notoriety. In her memoirs – called Prairie Tale, released in 2009 – the actress recounts the dark facets of her childhood. Those of a granddaughter who grew up under the yoke of an authoritarian mother, controlling her every move. 'Welcome to my not so simple life!' , she confides in the preamble.
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Melissa Gilbert: 'My mom was controlling my whole life'
'My mother, whom I love very much, has continually revised the story of my life,' continues the actress at the start of her memoir. A life under control, where everything was subject to validation and thus prevented little Mélissa from expressing herself. ' For instance, my mother was in charge of everything, including my career, my food intake, how I dressed. I never questioned it. Speaking against the family was the ultimate form of disloyalty. And disloyalty was not tolerated. It was like the mafia (...) I have always been a bit afraid of being fired, wherever I come from. 'Because Melissa carries with her the fears of an adopted little girl...
Melissa Gilbert, a child adopted by actor Paul Gilbert
Behind the glitter of his life as a child Hollywood star - his actor father Paul Gilbert has his star on Hollywood Boulevard not far from his - hides the wound of a child abandoned at birth by biological parents . Melissa Gilbert le also recounts in his memoirs , then convinced of being the daughter of a recognized ballerina and a brilliant student: ' I am reaching the age where I can verify the facts of my story. My mother is a simple dancer, although I don't know what dance. My father is a sign painter . They are each married on their side with three children, run away together, my mother becomes pregnant but they do not have the means to raise a seventh child. '
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The dream life of Laura Ingalls
In the end, it's in front of the camera, behind the scenes of The Little House On The Prairie that Melissa was living her best life as a child. 'For me, work was a daydream' , she says again in her autobiographical book. 'I was a carefree child with a wonderful surrogate father played by Michael Landon.' The actor who played Charles Ingalls in the series, was a man as good and generous as his character. An idyllic environment in which little Melissa flourishes. ' There were people I could talk to, I could count on. There were chickens, cows, I even had my own horse called Peanuts and other animals with whom I played in an idyllic setting. I loved playing Laura because I wanted to be like her ' . A real fairy tale for the young actress.
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Melissa Gilbert, alcoholic and drug addict: her descent into hell
Melissa Gilbert was 19 when the series ended. In the early 1980s, she gradually slipped to the dark side of fame, often resorting to alcohol and drugs. drugs to find some peace . ' Beer, a shot of tequila, then another beer, or two or three. Cocaine also helped .' Along with her then-boyfriend Rob, they use and abuse all kinds of substances. At the time, she confided not wanting to take it: 'I was afraid of doing wrong '. Melissa explains that she finally had ' the courage to sniff some rails. It did nothing to me .' Ironically, the little fiancée from the United States is then spokesperson for the White House for the anti-drug campaign Just Say No.
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Melissa Gilbert and the dictatorship of appearance: she is addicted to diets and cosmetic surgery
With an abusive mother, nourished by their dysfunctional relationship where her actions are dictated to her, exposed to the whole world from an early age, it is difficult for Melissa to blossom serenely. Her relationship to her image is complicated, and the one who grew up in the spotlight can't bear to see oneself grow old. ' My mindset was: you gotta stay slim , she continues in her memoir. You have to keep being seen in the right places, wearing the right shoes, driving the right car. It was so ingrained in me !' The actress reproduces her addictive and compulsive relationship to drugs and alcohol with surgery. Never satisfied with the botox and operations, she ends up no longer recognizing herself...
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Melissa Gilbert's journey of resilience: 'I finally feel good about myself'
After this brutal awakening, worn out by excesses and injections, Melissa Gilbert decides to take charge, as she revealed to People . 'I grew up in an industry that values the outside much more than the inside. And I got caught up in this desire to stay young . (...) I woke up and I said to myself: what are you doing? You look like a carrot! ' Her epiphany, she owes it to her last husband Timothy Busfield: ' I cut my hair, quit Botox and everything. I was always trying to be what others expected of me. I finally feel good about myself. I feel relieved and much happier. “At 58, Melissa Gilbert can finally love herself as she is.
Source journaldesfemmes.fr
