Gillian Anderson has spoken openly about her teenage years and revealed that one of her earliest relationships was with another girl. The actress, best known for her role as Dana Scully in The X Files, shared details about the relationship while reflecting on her childhood and how she understood her feelings as she grew older. Anderson moved from London to Grand Rapids, Michigan, when she was 11. Speaking to the Sunday Times, she recalled being involved with an older girl while she was in high school. According to Anderson, the relationship felt secretive because they believed they had to hide it from other people.
Anderson said the experience felt “secretive and illicit and wrong” at the time. She explained that the situation became even more difficult when she later had a boyfriend who discovered the relationship and ended things with her. Despite having relationships with women, Anderson said she did not identify herself as gay when she was younger because she had also dated men. Looking back, she said she did not have the right words to understand or explain what she was feeling.
The actress, who is now 58, also explained that her understanding of relationships changed as she became older. She said that even during later relationships with women, she was not sure she viewed those relationships as something that could last forever. Anderson said that the person she currently considers her life partner is male, but she believes she would feel the same connection if that person were a woman.
Anderson also spoke about her rebellious teenage years. She recalled going to gay bars and dancing at the age of 12 using a fake ID. She described herself as a strong willed child and said her mother knew that she could be difficult to control. Anderson has also said that she went to therapy with her mother while looking back at some of the experiences from her childhood.
During the same conversation, Anderson revealed that she began another relationship when she was 15 with a much older man who was 24 at the time. She said they remained together for three years. She has previously discussed her teenage relationship with a girl in an interview with Out magazine in 2012.
Anderson has been married twice. She was married to Clyde Klotz from 1994 to 1997 and later married documentary filmmaker Julian Ozanne from 2004 to 2006. She has three children, including daughter Piper with Klotz and sons Oscar and Felix with her former partner Mark Griffiths.
Looking back, Anderson’s comments show how her understanding of love and relationships developed over the years. She has described her younger self as someone who often challenged social expectations and made unconventional choices while trying to understand who she was.