No ring... yet: Family Ties star Meredith Baxter goes on a grocery run without a wedding band one week after picking up her marriage license

By Heidi Parker

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Milk? Check. Bread? Yup. Eggs? Got it. Wedding band? Not yet.

On Wednesday Family Ties star Meredith Baxter went on a grocery run to Gelson's in Los Angeles, but did so with a bare left hand, indicating that her wedding to longtime girlfriend Nancy Locke, 56, has not yet happened.

Last week TMZ claimed the 66-year-old obtained her marriage license in Beverly Hills and that wedding invitations have already been put in the mail.

Bling free: Meredith Baxter stepped out on Wednesday for a grocery run at Gelson's in L.A. without a wedding band on just about a week after reportedly picking up her marriage license in Beverly Hills

Bling free: Meredith Baxter stepped out on Wednesday for a grocery run at Gelson's in L.A. without a wedding band on just about a week after reportedly picking up her marriage license in Beverly Hills

Put a ring on it!: The TV icon has been dating Nancy Locke since 2006

The Emmy winner - who shared the screen for years with Michael J. Fox and Justine Bateman on their hit '80s family sitcom - started dating Nancy in 2006. Three years later she came out as a lesbian on The Today Show.

In 2011 she talked in depth to Oprah about her romantic life, saying she was never really physically comfortable with men, and was relieved when she discovered it was because she was actually not straight.

Meredith was married to Robert Bush from 1966 to 1971, then David Birney from 1974 to 1990. Her last marriage was to Michael Blodgett from 1995 to 2000.

Meredith wrote about her choice to come out in her memoir Untied.

She said she didn't realize until much later in life that she was attracted to the same sex. A relationship with a woman named Paula changed it all.

'I felt alive in a way that I had not experienced,' she said. 'Life was rife with possibilities.'

Put a ring on it!: The TV icon has been dating Nancy Locke since 2006

Put a ring on it!: The TV icon has been dating Nancy Locke since 2006

A step in the right direction: The blonde told Oprah she felt 'alive' after she came out
A step in the right direction: The blonde told Oprah she felt 'alive' after she came out

A step in the right direction: The blonde told Oprah she felt 'alive' after she came out

On Oprah, Nancy - a general contractor - said it was hard for her to deal with her partner being in the closet for so long.

'I never knew when it was okay, when we were out in public, to hold her hand or to put my arm around her,' Nancy said.

'We would be holding hands and perhaps someone would be walking up the street and she would need to drop my hand. It would hurt my feelings.'

Soon to be newlyweds?: Meredith - seen here in 2012 with longtime girlfriend Nancy - reportedly picked up a marriage license on Friday

Soon to be newlyweds?: Meredith - seen here in 2012 with longtime girlfriend Nancy - reportedly picked up a marriage license on Friday

The show that made her a household name: The blonde with her Family Ties co-stars in the '80s

The show that made her a household name: The blonde with her Family Ties co-stars in the '80s

Meredith, who has five children, also alleged in her book that David was an abusive and controlling husband. She also discussed her struggles with alcoholism.

'I felt [like] a fraud in my own life,' she said.

'But it wasn't in terms about any public persona. I didn't live in any public persona. I didn't think about my fans or anything like that. It was just such a dark little place I lived.'

Meredith claims David's abuse was more often mental and emotional than physical.

'The truth is, you don't have to be abused physically too many times. A couple times and you know that's always on the back burner,' she says.

'It's the continuing corrosive effect of being belittled, denigrated in front of children, second-guessed, called down so that I have no voice. I had no voice for so long, which is probably, ultimately, why I felt I had to say something at some point.'

Husband #2: With David Birney who she was married to from 1974 to 1990

Husband #2: With David Birney who she was married to from 1974 to 1990

Husband #3: With Michael Blodgett who she was with from 1995 to 2000

Husband #3: With Michael Blodgett who she was with from 1995 to 2000


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