It has been two months since a New Mexico grand jury indicted Timothy Busfield on child sex abuse charges. In the time since, his wife, Melissa Gilbert, has been coming to terms with her family’s new reality. In her first interview since Busfield was formally charged with four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child, Gilbert defended her husband, saying he is “the last person in the world who would hurt a child.”
“Our life as we knew it is done,” Gilbert told George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America. “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 cancelled. Even if he’s exonerated, he will always be that guy.” She added, “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.”
The 68-year-old was arrested on accusations related to twin child actors he worked with on the Fox television series The Cleaning Lady. Busfield is accused of allegedly having inappropriate contact with twin boys while on set, which included unwanted tickling. One of the children later claimed Busfield touched his private areas over his clothes between takes.
Gilbert previously wrote a letter of support in defence of Busfield. Busfield himself has adamantly denied the claims, calling them “horrible lies.” He pleaded not guilty to all four counts in February. His trial is scheduled for May 2027.
The complete Good Morning America interview will air on Monday, April 6. “This has been the most traumatising experience of our lives,” Gilbert said, describing the legal ordeal as “hell.”
From Rolling Stone US
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