Melissa Gilbert Says Life After Accusations Against Timothy Busfield Has Been ‘Hell’
What To Know
- Melissa Gilbert expressed deep devastation over the child sexual abuse allegations against her husband, Timothy Busfield.
- Busfield was indicted on four counts of criminal sexual conduct involving two 11-year-old boys, has pled not guilty, and is awaiting trial after being released from jail.
Warning: The following post reports on allegations of child sexual abuse.
Actress Melissa Gilbert is standing by her husband, Timothy Busfield, despite his ongoing legal issues and the allegations surrounding him.
In her first interview since Busfield’s January arrest on allegations of child sexual abuse, Gilbert spoke with Good Morning America‘s George Stephanopoulos in a sit-down that will air on Monday, April 6. People was given a teaser clip of the interview.
“Hell. This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives,” the Little House on the Prairie actress told Stephanopoulos in the interview. “Our life as we knew it is done…We are grieving what we had — all of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects. For Tim, it’s done. He’s canceled. Even if he’s exonerated, he will always be that guy. [He’s] the last person in the world who would hurt a child. And believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he’d have a lot more to worry about than prison.”
Busfield was indicted by a grand jury on February 6 on four counts of criminal sexual conduct following allegations that he inappropriately touched twin 11-year-old boys on the set of The Cleaning Lady. Busfield was released from jail on January 20 as he awaits trial.
On February 10, Busfield pled not guilty “to charges of criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse.” He also waived his arraignment and appearances in court for all pretrial proceedings.
In a video published by TMZ, Busfield denied the allegations.
“I’m going to confront these lies,” he declared. “They’re horrible. They’re all lies. And I did not do anything to those little boys, and I’m going to fight it. I’m going to fight it with a great team, and I’m going to be exonerated.”
If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is the victim of child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
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