Gillian Anderson opens up on 'secret' same-sex relationship she had in her teens with older girl
Sex Education star Gillian Anderson has educated fans about her own sex life as she spoke candidly about a secret same-sex relationship she had in her teens.
The acclaimed actor has been channeling her inner Jean Milburn (pssst, the character she plays in Sex Education) as she detailed a deeply personal same-sex relationship she had during high school, describing the entire experience as intensely secretive.
Fans know the Hollywood icon for her legendary roles, but long before the fame, she relocated from London to Grand Rapids, Michigan, when she was just 11 years old.
She revealed that one of her very first romances was actually with 'an older girl in high school', during her teenage years.
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Speaking candidly during a recent interview with the Sunday Times, the star admitted that the romance was kept a secret due to how people would have reacted at the time.
“It felt secretive and illicit and wrong and we had to hide,” she explained to the publication, regarding the covert nature of their teenage romance.
Unfortunately, keeping everything hidden eventually caused drama in her personal life, as Anderson recalled how a subsequent boyfriend found out about the same-sex relationship and promptly dumped her.
Despite her intense feelings for the girl she was seeing, Anderson didn't necessarily identify as gay at the time.
“But I definitely felt I didn’t have the language for it,” she told the publication. "Even later on when I had other relationships [with women] I’m not sure I ever thought of them as being potentially forever."
“The person I consider my life partner happens to be male, but I think I would feel the same way if it were a woman,” she continued. “I’d feel, ‘This is my life partner.’”
Looking back at her youth, she realized she didn't view her romances with women as long-term commitments.
“When I was younger, there were parts of my brain that thought [women] were temporary,” she confessed.
Today, the actor has a much more fluid approach to love and has been romantically linked to a male partner - with that person being playwright Peter Morgan - although they've never confirmed their relationship. However, she insists gender doesn't dictate her ability to commit.
Anderson also touched on her generally rebellious teenage years, confessing she was quite the wild child, as she recalled sneaking into gay bars and dancing with a fake ID at just twelve years old.
Touching on her relationships back in 2012, Anderson noted that she purposefully chose an anarchistic path, regularly dating people who raised eyebrows in her local community.
She explained how her attitude naturally led to inappropriate behavior as a teenager. Ultimately, the star noted that her unconventional lifestyle choices, wild behavior, and the various rebellious relationships she was engaging in at the time were entirely successful at 'freaking people out'.
Topics: Gillian Anderson, Entertainment, Celebrity, Sex and Relationships
Joe Yates