Gillian Anderson Opens Up About Being Pansexual and Her Early Relationships With Women

Gillian Anderson is speaking more openly about her sexuality, revealing in a new interview that she identifies as pansexual and has long viewed attraction as something that is not limited by gender.

The X-Files and Sex Education star discussed her personal experiences in an interview with The Australian, where she explained that the term pansexual best describes how she understands her sexuality today.

Anderson told interviewer Nikki Gemmell that she is “pan, as in pansexual,” adding that she is attracted to people of all genders.

Her comments come after years of Anderson reflecting publicly on relationships she had with women when she was younger. In recent interviews, the actress has spoken about how she did not necessarily have the vocabulary to describe those experiences at the time and how societal attitudes influenced the way she viewed them.

Gillian Anderson Says She Identifies as Pansexual

For Anderson, her recent comments appear to represent a clearer understanding of something she has discussed in different ways throughout her career.

During her conversation with The Australian, the actress directly described herself as pansexual and explained that her attraction can extend across genders.

That perspective is consistent with comments she made in a 2024 interview with The New Yorker. At the time, Anderson reflected on her sexuality and wondered aloud whether labels such as bisexual or pansexual might better describe her experiences.

Now, she has offered a more direct answer.

Anderson’s comments also highlight how her understanding of her sexuality has evolved over time. Rather than describing attraction according to a strict category, she has emphasized the importance of the individual person and the connection she feels with them.

That idea was also apparent when she previously discussed the possibility of having a female life partner.

“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,” Anderson previously explained.

She added that she would simply view that person as her life partner, regardless of gender.

She Previously Discussed a Secret Relationship With an Older Girl

Anderson’s latest comments come shortly after she opened up about one of her early same-sex relationships.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, the actress recalled becoming romantically involved with an older girl while she was in high school.

The relationship was kept private, largely because Anderson feared how people around her might respond.

“It felt secretive and illicit and wrong and we had to hide,” she said while describing the experience.

Looking back, Anderson said she did not identify as gay during that period of her life. Instead, she believes she simply did not have the language to properly understand or explain what she was experiencing.

“But I definitely felt I didn’t have the language for it,” she said.

That uncertainty continued even after she had other relationships with women.

Anderson explained that, when she was younger, she did not necessarily imagine those relationships as lifelong partnerships. Her perspective has changed as she has grown older and gained a better understanding of herself.

“When I was younger, there were parts of my brain that thought [women] were temporary,” she said.

Her reflections provide additional context for why identifying as pansexual now feels meaningful to her.

Anderson Has Been Candid About Her Teenage Years

The actress has also described herself as rebellious during her teenage years.

After moving from London to Grand Rapids, Michigan, at age 11, Anderson experienced a very different environment from the one she had known in England.

She has previously spoken about experimenting with her identity and pushing against expectations during her adolescence. Among the stories she has shared is one about sneaking into gay bars and using a fake ID when she was very young.

Anderson’s recollections suggest that her teenage years were marked by a desire to challenge conventions and explore different aspects of her identity.

However, she has also acknowledged that some of those experiences were complicated by the attitudes surrounding same-sex relationships at the time.

Her decision to keep her relationship with the older girl private was part of that reality. What might be discussed more openly today could have felt much more difficult to navigate during her youth.

Her Views on Love Have Become More Fluid

One of the most revealing aspects of Anderson’s reflections is the distinction she makes between gender and commitment.

Although she has had relationships with women, Anderson has explained that she did not always imagine those relationships as permanent. At the same time, she does not believe that having a male partner makes her connection to that person fundamentally different.

Her comments suggest that, for her, the emotional significance of a relationship is separate from the gender of the person involved.

That perspective fits with her current identification as pansexual and helps explain why she has become increasingly comfortable discussing sexuality publicly.

Anderson has also acknowledged that her understanding of herself has changed with age.

In her 2024 conversation with The New Yorker, she reflected on being 55 and questioned whether pansexual or bisexual was the most appropriate label for her.

Her latest interview indicates that she now feels more comfortable using pansexual to describe her sexuality.

Gillian Anderson Has Had Two Marriages

Anderson’s romantic history has also included two marriages.

She was first married to Clyde Klotz, an art director who worked on The X-Files. The pair married in 1994 and later divorced.

She subsequently married filmmaker and journalist Julian Ozanne. Their marriage began in 2004 and ended several years later.

Anderson has also been romantically linked to playwright Peter Morgan, the creator of The Crown.

The two were first connected publicly after meeting in 2016 through actress Vanessa Kirby, who worked with Morgan on The Crown. Anderson later portrayed former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the Netflix series.

Anderson and Morgan reportedly separated in 2020. Their appearance together at the 2024 Emmy Awards later prompted renewed speculation about their relationship status after they were seen sitting next to one another.

However, their private relationship status has not consistently been publicly confirmed, so claims that they are currently together should be treated cautiously.

She Also Talked About Attraction

Anderson’s The Australian interview went beyond labels and relationships.

The actress was also asked about physical features she finds attractive in men and women.

When discussing men, she said she particularly likes forearms and hands, describing the combination as potentially very attractive.

Her answer was different when talking about women, with Anderson mentioning lips, buttocks and the clavicle.

The candid conversation also included Anderson describing herself as “a very sexual being.”

Despite that, she said she is not particularly flirtatious and does not necessarily make her interest obvious.

She also reflected on how women around her age can begin reconnecting with their sensuality later in life.

“I’m not a big flirter,” she explained, while noting that she has heard from many women her age who are rediscovering that part of themselves.

The comments offered another glimpse into Anderson’s willingness to discuss subjects that many celebrities might prefer to keep private.

Anderson Continues to Speak Openly About Personal Issues

Sexuality is not the only personal subject Anderson has discussed publicly in recent years.

The actress has also been outspoken about issues within the entertainment industry, including unequal pay between male and female performers.

During an appearance on Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show, Anderson recalled receiving an offer that was significantly lower than what her male co-star was being offered.

The experience prompted her to reconsider how much she should continue speaking about gender inequality in Hollywood.

Anderson said she had initially felt that the issue was something from the past, but the experience made her realize that the gender pay gap remained relevant.

Her willingness to revisit those conversations reflects a broader pattern in her public interviews. Rather than presenting herself as having all the answers, Anderson has often described her views as something that continue to evolve.

That same openness can be seen in the way she now talks about sexuality.

A Career Spanning Decades

Anderson remains one of the most recognizable actors of her generation.

She became internationally known through her role as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully on The X-Files, opposite David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder.

The character established Anderson as a major television star and earned her critical recognition as well as numerous awards and nominations.

Years later, she reached another generation of viewers through Sex Education, where she played sex therapist and mother Jean Milburn.

Her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown also brought widespread attention and critical acclaim.

More recently, Anderson has continued taking on film and television projects, demonstrating the range that has defined her career beyond her earliest breakthrough role.

Her willingness to discuss her personal experiences has likewise become an important part of her public identity.

Anderson’s Latest Comments Add Context to a Long-Running Conversation

Anderson’s decision to identify as pansexual does not represent an entirely new chapter in her story. Instead, it adds clarity to conversations she has been having about relationships, attraction and identity for years.

Her recollections of dating women as a teenager, combined with her later reflections on bisexuality and pansexuality, show how her understanding of herself has developed over time.

Most importantly, Anderson’s comments emphasize that personal identity does not always fit neatly into a label from the beginning.

For the actress, understanding her sexuality appears to have been a gradual process rather than something she had fully defined during her youth.

At 58, Anderson is continuing to speak about that evolution with the same openness she has brought to other personal and professional subjects.

Her latest interview gives fans another look at the person behind some of her most famous roles — and shows that, like many aspects of life, her understanding of love and identity has continued to change with time.