Sara Gilbert's sexuality hasn't been a secret since she publicly came out of the closet in 2010, with many aware of the fact that she is a lesbian long before her public announcement. However the journey she took to get to where she is as a confident, openly gay woman was a long and difficult one to undertake, one that was made much easier thanks to her relationship with actor Johnny Galecki.

Sara Gilbert
Gilbert said that her relationship with Galecki helped her come to terms with her sexuality

Gilbert and Galecki began seeing each other when he joined the cast of Roseanne in the early 1990's. Gilbert revealed on Thursday's (12 Sept.) show that when the pair began seeing each other, things seemed to be going well but she would be left with an overwhelming sense of depression whenever the two got intimate. Through Galecki's help she gradually became aware of what her feelings meant and slowly began to come to terms with her sexuality. Her revelation came one day after The Talk co-host Julie Chen admitted that she had plastic surgery to make her eyes wider prior to finding national fame.

"We started dating and he would come over and we would, like, make out, and then I would start to get depressed," Gilbert revealed on the show. She continued, "I eventually told him I thought it was about my sexuality, and he was super sweet about it."

Sara Gilbert LAJohnny Galecki
Sara and Johnny remain friends to this day

"It was something people could have found out about," she added, "like no one knew at the show for years, and Johnny held the secret the whole time. And I always felt so scared. If it came out, what could happen? Could I lose my career? Will I ever be able to play a straight role again?"

She went on to say that she and Johnny remain friends to this day and that he even offered to appear on the show to "hold her hand" as she discussed their past on national television. Gilbert has since had two children from her relationship with TV producer Allison Adler that lasted from 2001 until 2011. Some months later she began a relationship with singer/songwriter Linda Perry, who she became engaged to in April 2013.

Sara Gilbert Linda Perry
Gilbert and Perry have been engaged since April this year