Gillian Anderson has identified as pansexual while reflecting on how her understanding of sexuality has developed throughout her life. The Gillian Anderson Reveals Pansexual Identity After ‘Secretive’ Teen Romance first appeared on The Blast

Gillian Anderson has identified as pansexual while reflecting on how her understanding of sexuality has developed throughout her life. The 58-year-old “X-Files” star shared the revelation weeks after discussing a relationship she had with an older female student during high school. Anderson explained that she has had relationships with women, but she did not always have the language to describe her sexuality.

Gillian Anderson Opens Up About Her Pansexual Identity

Anderson discussed her sexuality during a new interview with The Australian. “In my younger years, I was in relationships with women,” she told the publication.

Pansexuality generally describes the capacity to experience attraction to people regardless of their gender. GLAAD notes that people may define the identity as being attracted to all gender identities or experiencing attraction regardless of gender.

Anderson’s remarks come after years of speaking openly about her relationships with both men and women. However, her latest interview appears to mark one of her clearest public discussions of identifying as pansexual.

The actress also indicated that her approach to attraction has changed as she has grown older and listened to other women discuss their experiences.

The Actress Discusses Dating And Desire Later In Life

Anderson said she does not actively seek attention from potential romantic partners. “I’m not a big flirter. I don’t put it out there very much,” she said. “I do hear of a lot of women around our age who are rediscovering their sensuality and their desire for sex.”

She continued, “It certainly sounds like they’re in the dating field. That they’re having a lot of fun, a lot of opportunities, but also being approached on these apps by much younger men.”

While Anderson discussed other women returning to the dating world, she did not describe herself as single. “The person I consider my life partner happens to be male,” she said.

Anderson has been publicly linked to “The Crown” creator Peter Morgan in an on-again, off-again relationship since 2016. However, the actress has generally kept the details of that relationship private.

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Gillian Anderson Previously Recalled A Hidden High School Relationship

Anderson’s latest comments arrive weeks after she discussed one of her earliest relationships during an interview with The Sunday Times. “One of my first relationships was with an older girl in high school. It felt secretive and illicit and wrong, and we had to hide. Later on I had a boyfriend who found out and broke up with me,” she told the publication.

Anderson said she did not think she was gay at the time because she had also dated boys. “But I definitely felt I didn’t have the language for it. Even later on when I had other relationships with women, I’m not sure I ever thought of them as being potentially forever,” she explained.

‘Sex Education’ Changed The Way She Discussed Sexuality

Anderson credited her role in Netflix’s “Sex Education” with helping her become more comfortable discussing sex, attraction and desire. “It all came from that character,” she said.

Anderson portrayed sex therapist Jean Milburn throughout all four seasons of the series. The character is the mother of Otis Milburn, played by Asa Butterfield, and approaches conversations about sexual health with directness and confidence.

Netflix similarly describes Jean as an observant therapist who “exudes sexuality and confidence” in its official cast guide. The role became part of a larger shift in Anderson’s career, during which she began publicly exploring women’s sexuality beyond her work onscreen.

Her book “Want,” released in 2024, presented anonymous sexual fantasies submitted by women from around the world. Anderson’s latest book, “More,” continues her exploration of intimacy, vulnerability, and desire.

Gillian Anderson Reflects On Being Named The ‘Sexiest Woman In The World’

Anderson’s openness about sexuality also follows a candid reflection on being voted FHM’s “Sexiest Woman in the World” in 1996. At the time, she was one of television’s most recognizable stars because of her portrayal of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully on “The X-Files.”

Despite the public attention surrounding her appearance, Anderson said the title did not match how she felt privately. “In 1996 I was voted ‘Sexiest Woman in the World’ by FHM readers, a title that arrived with all the certainty of a cultural verdict,” she wrote for British Vogue. “How ‘sexy’ I felt inside, or indeed looked, when the accolade was announced is another story… The ludicrous irony, of course, is that when the ‘world’ declared me its sexiest woman, I felt anything but.”

Anderson explained that she was raising her young daughter, working demanding hours and adjusting to life as a single mother following the end of her marriage to Clyde Klotz. “The fantasy projected onto me bore no resemblance to my reality, despite the latex bodysuit and exposed midriff in the accompanying photoshoot. My life revolved around call sheets, line memorization and motherhood.”

The Actress Says Confidence Now Comes From Within

Anderson is a mother of three. She shares her adult daughter, Piper, with Klotz and her sons, Oscar and Felix, with former partner Mark Griffiths.

Three decades after receiving a title that made her uncomfortable, Anderson said she now feels more secure in herself. “The most seductive thing any of us can wear is the quiet conviction that we belong exactly where we are,” she wrote.

The Gillian Anderson Reveals Pansexual Identity After ‘Secretive’ Teen Romance first appeared on The Blast