Meredith Baxter, best known for her role as Elyse Keaton on 'Family Ties,' revealed yesterday on 'Today' that she's been living as a lesbian for the past seven years.

The 62-year-old, who has been married three times, confessed that she was a bit reluctant to reveal her new sexual identity. "I have to admit to a certain level of anxiety; I'm a very private person," she said. "I've always lived a very private life, and to come out and disclose stuff, it's really antithetical to who I am."

Watch the video after the jump.Meredith Baxter, best known for her role as Elyse Keaton on 'Family Ties,' revealed yesterday on 'Today' that she's been living as a lesbian for the past seven years.

The 62-year-old, who has been married three times, confessed that she was a bit reluctant to reveal her new sexual identity. "I have to admit to a certain level of anxiety; I'm a very private person," she said. "I've always lived a very private life, and to come out and disclose stuff, it's really antithetical to who I am."

Claiming that she made the realization "later in life," Baxter has been in a relationship with building contractor Nancy Locke for the past four years, and says that her five children, whose ages range from 25-42, have all been "very loving and supportive" of her lifestyle.

Baxter decided to reveal her homosexuality after news broke that she'd been spotted on a lesbian cruise in the Caribbean with a female friend.

Related stories:
5 Clues From 'Family Ties' That Meredith Baxter Birney Was Gay All Along
Meredith Baxter Birney on 'Today': "I Am a Lesbian"

Watch the video from TV's Top 5! below.