All week "The Talk" has been doing a "Big Secret" reveal segment and Sara Gilbert was the third cohost to reveal her shocking revelation, CNN reports. On the show Gilbert opened up about the first time she realized she was gay and how she kept her sexuality hidden for years.
She began her story by telling the other cohosts about when she dated her former "Roseanne" co-star Johnny Galecki back in the '90s and how that relationship helped her realize she was gay. That wasn't her big secret since many fans of the sitcom knew she and Gilbert dated and she publicly announced she was a lesbian in 2010 when "The Talk" first began.
Gilbert's big reveal was how much she struggled with coming to terms with her sexuality and how she feared coming out would tarnish her career.
"I thought he was super cute and had a total crush on him and we started dating (as teens)," she began. "And he would come over and we would like, male out, and then I would start to get depressed."
She explained how Galecki began to take it personally "so I eventually told him that I thought it was about my sexuality, and he was super-sweet about it."
The "Big Bang Theory" actor helped Gilbert keep her secret even when she started dating a woman who was much older than she was and also in the public eye.
"It was something people really could've found out about," she said. "No one knew at the show for years, and Johnny held the secret the whole time. And I just felt... always so scared if it came out, what could happen. Would I lose my career, would I ever be able to play a straight role again?"
She reassured the other cohosts that she is completely happy with her life now - which includes two kids and her fiancé Linda Perry - but she still has fears about how her sexuality will be perceived.
"When I talk about my sexuality on the show, or in public, I still feel really scared. There's still a piece of me that goes, what is this costing me in my career?" she said. "I want people to know that we often say things like, 'It gets better,' and it does get better, but I want people to know that, I guess, that there can still be a struggle with it and that's K. it really is a process, and there can be a part of you that doesn't want to feel different or feel scared."
