Gillian Anderson is ready to put a name to something she has been exploring for years. The X-Files and Sex Education star has revealed that she identifies as pansexual, describing herself as attracted to people of any gender.
The 58-year-old actress made the revelation in a candid new interview with The Australian while discussing her latest book, More, a follow-up to her bestselling 2024 collection Want.
“In My Younger Years, I Was in Relationships with Women”
For longtime fans, the announcement didn’t come entirely out of the blue. Anderson has previously spoken openly about having relationships with women, including during her younger years. In a 2024 interview with The New Yorker, she was still questioning which label best described her — asking herself whether she was “pansexual” or “bisexual.”
She has also been careful not to overstate her experiences or claim an identity that didn’t feel right to her. Now, she is speaking more definitively.
“In my younger years, I was in relationships with women,” she told The Australian.
What Does Pansexual Mean?
Pansexuality is defined as sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity. According to Merriam-Webster, a pansexual person can be attracted to males, females, transgender people, and those who identify as non-binary.
The term derives from the Greek prefix “pan,” meaning “all” — referring to all genders.
In simple terms: for someone who is pansexual, gender isn’t a barrier to attraction or love.
A Chapter of Self-Discovery and Empowerment
Anderson’s announcement arrives at a moment of significant personal and professional reflection. She told the outlet that she is “100 percent” in a place where she feels like she can “take on the world.”
“At this particular moment, there’s actually so much that’s good about it. So much agency, empowerment and comfortability with the self,” she shared.
She also reflected on the broader experiences of women her age, noting that she hears from many who are “rediscovering their sensuality and their desire for sex.”
Anderson credited her role as sex therapist Jean Milburn on Netflix’s Sex Education with helping her become more comfortable discussing sexuality openly.
“It all came from that character,” she said. “The conversation about doing these books wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for that.”
The Truth About Her Current Partner
Anderson is currently rumored to be in a relationship with playwright and screenwriter Peter Morgan, the creator of The Crown. The two have been linked on and off since 2016.
But she has made one thing clear: the fact that her partner is a man does not define who she could fall in love with. Speaking about Morgan, she said he “happens to be male, but I think I would feel the same way if it were a woman.”
“I’d feel, ‘This is my life partner,'” she said.
“I Didn’t Have the Language”
Reflecting on her younger years, Anderson also opened up about one of her first relationships — with an older girl in high school. She told The Sunday Times last month that it “felt secretive and illicit and wrong, and we had to hide.” A boyfriend at the time found out and broke up with her.
She said she didn’t think she was gay “because I’d had a couple of boyfriends,” but she “felt I didn’t have the language for it.”
Now she does.
A New Chapter
Anderson’s new book More: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous is set to publish on Sept. 15. The collection compiles anonymous sexual fantasies submitted by women, following the success of her 2024 book Want.
She said the book features “so many stories from women who yearn for tenderness” or to be desired for exactly who they are.
“It’s a complex and very confusing world out there. Which is why I think it’s so important to continue to have books like this,” she said.
Anderson also hinted that once the book and her film Miasma are behind her, she may be closing a significant chapter of her life.
“Once this book is done and once this film is done, I feel like… it might be the end of this chapter of my life,” she said.
Whatever comes next, one thing is certain: Gillian Anderson is living life on her own terms — and finally with the language to describe exactly who she is.
