Leighton Meester: 'I want a family someday'

She may play a mean girl on "Gossip Girl," but Leighton Meester is a sentimental softie at heart. In an interview with the February issue of Seventeen magazine, the actress dishes about her desire to have a family and admits that her split with co-star Sebastian Stan left her crushed.

"I've only had one experience where it was really hard and I was really sad when it ended," Meester, 24, says of her April breakup from Stan, 27. "I've never really liked anybody before. Even when I would date guys, it would sort of be on the surface and it was always a relief when we broke up."

The "Country Strong" star says she learned a lot from the experience, especially about the importance of keeping her heart open. "If I shut love down or didn't let it in, I would just be this really cold, sad person," she explains.

While Meester hopes to settle down eventually, she is proceeding with caution when it comes to finding a partner. "I want a family someday… and I think there is someone out there for me," she says, "but I'm not on some crazy hunt for that right now."