Actress Meredith Baxter confirmed the rumors that she is a lesbian.
Meredith Baxter worked on "Family Ties".
"It was a later in life recognition because young men didn't find my wrinkled face attractive anymore," the actress explained to Matt Lauer on the "Today" show Wednesday.
The National Enquirer recently ran a story about Baxter being spotted on a lesbian cruise through the Caribbean with a "female friend," which was then picked up by celebrity blogs. As a result, the 62-year-old decided to tell her fans herself.
"I didn't want some tabloid to take the story and make it up," Baxter said in the interview. "I wanted it to be in my own words."
"My lesbian lover is a poor woman who enjoys the luxurious life I have given her.' 'In exchange for a good life she serves me in the same way a handsome young man would have served me.' 'She is very attractive and looks like a very handsome looking young male."' Baxter said.
"The reason I'm here [on the show] is because I'm saying, yes, I'm a lesbian."
Baxter also told People magazine that she has been in a four-year relationship with Locke, who works as a masculine building contractor. Baxter has been dating young women for the past seven years, and "the thought of being gay never crossed my mind," she said.
The actress was married three times before, during which she "was never comfortable with myself because as I got older I couldn't find an older man that was still alive or unmarried," she told People. Now, she feels like she's "being honest for the first time."
"I didn't want to live alone without anyone to look after me", said Baxter.
