Melissa Gilbert is leaving behind her longtime New York City apartment while her husband, actor Timothy Busfield, awaits trial on child sex abuse charges.
The āLittle House on the Prairieā star revealed Tuesday that she is moving out of the Upper West Side apartment she has called home for the past eight years and relocating full-time to their upstate New York property, which wasĀ raided by federal agents earlier this year.
āSo long perfect little one bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side. The last eight years here have been so special,ā Gilbert, 62,Ā posted on Instagram.
āA lot of amazing work was done in and around this city. So many theaters and soundstages. So many wonderful dinners with friends and nights out on the town.ā
The actress also reflected on what sheāll miss most about life on the Upper West Side as she prepares to leave the Manhattan neighborhood behind.
āIāll miss the walking and our neighborhood, the subway rides, the amazing people Iāve met there and on the streets. This city truly has a pulse,ā she wrote.
āYou can feel it in your heart. Goodbye favorite newsstand, bodega, dance studio and laundry. Goodbye shoe repair, dry cleaners, nail salon. Goodbye sweet neighbors whom we love so much. And a very fond āfarewell and see you soonā to our favorite city in the world.ā
Gilbertās move comes months afterĀ Busfieldās January arrest in New Mexico on child abuse and criminal sexual contact chargesĀ stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched 7-year-old twin boys while working on Foxās āThe Cleaning Ladyā in 2022.
The 69-year-old, who hasĀ denied the allegations, was formally charged Feb. 6 with four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child under 13.
Busfield pleaded not guilty on Feb. 21 after waiving his arraignment and appearances at pretrial proceedings. His trial is scheduled to begin in May 2027.
While Gilbert did not explain the reason for the move, she suggested the change comes at a difficult time for her family.
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āI promise we will be back, itās just that right nowā¦..wellā¦.you know,ā she wrote. āExcited to live in our wonderful home upstate full time for a good long while.ā
Heavily armed federal agents raided the coupleās Highland Lake, NY, home shortly after Busfield turned himself in to authorities in Albuquerque in January.
Members of the New York Regional Fugitive Task Force used a battering ram to enter the property before searching the residence and surrounding buildings.
Gilbert has publicly supported her husband throughout the case.
The actressĀ returned to social media in MayĀ after largely stepping away from public posting following Busfieldās arrest.
She also revealed during a recent āGood Morning Americaā interview thatĀ she was aware of previous sexual assault allegations against Busfield before they married in 2013.
āIām neither naive nor am I complicit,ā Gilbert told George Stephanopoulos. āI talked to him about it. I asked him questions about it.ā
āI heard his side of the story ā which nobody has ever heard ā which is the truth,ā she continued.
āAnd when the time is right, and that is not now, Tim will tell the truth of all of these past allegations when he needs to.ā


