Family Ties star exits The Closet: Meredith Baxter, the actress who played beloved mom Elyse Keaton on the ’80s sitcom Family Ties, revealed that she has been dating a woman for the last four years on The TODAY Show Wednesday. “I’m a lesbian and it was later in life recognization,” the 62-year-old former sitcom mom told anchor Matt Lauer. “Some people would say, well, you’re living a lie and, you know, the truth is – not at all. This has only been the past 7 years,” she added. “I understand why I had the issues I had earlier in my life. I had difficulty connecting with men.”

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“Sometimes, I assumed I was a bad picker, which I was indeed, but I also was involved with people who made me think, ‘Oh, they’re the problem,’ because there were problems with the people I chose. It never occurred to me to think, ‘Oh, it’s me,’” Meredith continued.

Meredith’s sexuality was exposed in the Dec. 7 issue of The National Enquirer after she was spotted on a lesbian cruise last month. The Enquirer reported that Baxter was spotted last month aboard a Caribbean cruise sponsored by lesbian travel company Sweet, writing that she was seen “traveling with a female friend, and she seemed very relaxed and comfortable.”

“I’ve always lived a very private life,” the actress said of her decision to come out now. “To come out and disclose stuff is very antithetical to who I am,” but she added, “I did not want some tabloid to take the story and make it up — I wanted it to be in my own words….”

The three-time divorcee and mother of five also revealed that she is in a loving relationship with Nancy Locke, a general contractor she met four years ago.

“I got involved with someone I never expected to get involved with…”

Sharing the revelation with her children, who range in age 25-42, was a lot easier than she expected, Meredith told Matt.

“I said, ‘I think I’m gay.’ My oldest boy said, ‘I knew,’” she laughed. “[They] are just very loving and supportive… The support from my family and anyone close to me has been so immediate and unqualified. I’ve really been blessed.”