The 'Little House on the Prairie' star reconnected with Busfield in a bar in 2012 and married him one year later

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Melissa Gilbert revealed how she and husband Timothy Busfield have kept their marriage "grounded" over the past 12 years while appearing on the I Choose Me with Jennie Garth podcast
The Little House on the Prairie star said she and Busfield "do everything with the other one in mind" and "are very considerate of one another"
The couple reconnected at a bar in 2012 and married one year later

The Little House on the Prairie star, 61, opened up about the couple's relationship on the July 29 episode of the I Choose Me podcast, telling host Jennie Garth that there's "a groundedness" and "a comfort level" to their marriage.

"I think it's part and parcel of the fact that it's a partnership, that we do everything with the other one in mind, and we are very considerate of one another and we respect each other immensely," Gilbert explained. "And so there are no decisions that are made singularly."

"Everything is discussed, shared, and there's so much comfort in that, and it's so much gentler and easier," she added.

Gilbert also credited the thirtysomething star's "easygoing" personality.

"He's just a really spiritual, grounded, easygoing guy," she told Garth, 53. "I mean, you know, we all have our moments, but they're so few and far between with both of us. Even our arguments are constructive."

The actress admitted that such a dynamic was "new" for her.

"Argument for me was for a long, large part of my life something to be afraid of, and then something that I did really badly once I found my voice. [I] picked too many fights just to have them," Gilbert explained.

While Gilbert said that her and Busfield's arguments "can get really heated," they end with little drama. "We usually end up laughing and then sitting down and talking it through. And it never lasts for more than a couple hours max," she told Garth.

Gilbert went on to note that she and Busfield crossed paths twice in the past before they began dating. "We actually first met many, many, many, many years ago in the '80s, and then we remet in the '90s. Now, we've been together for 13 years," she said.

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The pair reconnected in a bar in 2012. At the time, Gilbert was newly single after splitting from ex-husband Bruce Boxleitner, whom she was married to from 1995 to 2011. Prior to that, she was married to Bo Brinkman from 1988 to 1994.

In an interview with PEOPLE last year, Gilbert recalled encountering Busfield in the bar and knowing in that moment that they would get married.

“It sounds cliché to say it, but it really was like getting hit with a thunderbolt,” she said. “It just seemed right and inevitable. The next morning when I woke up, my first thought was, ‘I'm going to marry him,’ and then my next thought was, ‘You're a crazy person.' ”

Her instincts were spot-on. The pair got engaged over the holidays in 2012 and tied the knot one year later in April 2013.

Back in 2022, Gilbert marked the 10-year anniversary of that momentous night in the bar.

"Ten years ago today I was in LA, out with my GBF @danielrobbhaircare, when I re-met @timbusfield whom I had not seen in about twenty years," she wrote on Instagram, alongside a selfie of the couple. "I was instantly, completely and madly besotted and remain completely and madly besotted to this day."

On the couple's 12th wedding anniversary on April 24 this year, Gilbert posted a sweet tribute to Busfield, highlighting all the life milestones and adventures they have shared together.

"12 years of true partnership, love, laughter, compassion, commitment, passion, laughter, cooking, kids, grandchildren, chickens, dogs, creating homes, films, plays, television. 12 years of writing together, traveling, cuddling, delicious meals, romantic getaways, spooning, reflecting, meditating, praying. 12 years of baseball, yoga, dance class. 12 years of adventure, comfort, care and synergy. 12 years married," she wrote.

"12 perfect years with my favorite person, who has my favorite face and my favorite soul," she continued, concluding, "How lucky I am. I love you @timbusfield."