Tom Selleck, who is arguably best known for starring in the 1980s hit television show “Magnum P.I.,” has been one of the most famous men in Hollywood for decades, which is why it’s come as a surprise to many that the 75 year-old star revealed in a recent interview that he has always struggled to deal with fame.

In an interview this week, Selleck described himself to People magazine as a “private person” who has “always treasured the balance between work and time with my family. It’s always about them.”

He went on to say that he stays sane by spending as much time as possible on the 63-acre ranch in Ventura, California that he shares with his wife Jillie Mack, who he has been married to for 33 years.

“I do grunt work and I make the rounds. I like watching things grow. It’s a retreat,” Selleck explained. “My relationships and my ranch keep me sane.”

Selleck bought the ranch back in 1988, the same year that he made the decision to leave “Magnum P.I.” Though he was at the height of his fame, Selleck was feeling burned out and knew he needed a change.

“I quit ‘Magnum,’ not because I didn’t like it or I was tired of it,” he explained. “I was tired from it. And I wanted a three-dimensional life because I didn’t have one. I knew intellectually what it would mean in terms of being a public person, but until you’ve lived it, there’s no way to understand it. I had a feeling of, ‘I don’t think I’m cut out for this.’”

Though he was being offered project after project, Selleck instead took a years-long hiatus from Hollywood to be with his wife and their daughter Hannah, who is now 31.

“It was a big lull, but it put a lot of things in perspective,” he remembered.

Little by little, Selleck eventually began taking parts here and there on shows like “Friends” and “The Closer.” These days, he continues to work starring on the CBS television show “Blue Bloods,” and Selleck could not be more grateful for all the blessings he has in his life.

“I’m proud of my work, I still love what I do, and I have my family,” Selleck said. “I’ve been enormously fortunate.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVMjuoRh0e0

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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