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Gillian Anderson has put a clearer name to something she has been exploring publicly for years.
The X-Files and Sex Education star has revealed that she identifies as pansexual, sharing the personal update while discussing her new book and her evolving relationship with conversations about love, attraction and sexuality.
During a recent interview with The Australian about her upcoming collection More, Anderson told interviewer Nikki Gemmell that she considers herself “pan,” referring to pansexuality.
For Anderson, the label reflects an attraction that isn’t defined by a person’s gender.
The revelation offers a clearer description of an aspect of her personal life that she has discussed with varying degrees of certainty over the years. It wasn’t presented as a sudden change, but rather as the latest point in a longer process of figuring out which language best reflected her experiences.
Anderson Has Discussed Sexuality Before
Those who have followed Anderson’s career may not find the revelation entirely surprising.
Those who have followed Anderson’s career may not find the revelation entirely surprising.
The actress has previously spoken about relationships with women, particularly during her younger years, while also emphasizing that she has been careful about choosing a label that genuinely felt appropriate.
In a 2024 interview with The New Yorker, Anderson discussed the question of whether “bisexual” or “pansexual” better described her experiences.
That uncertainty is significant because Anderson has previously indicated that she didn’t want to claim an identity simply because it seemed expected or because aspects of her past could be interpreted a certain way.
Her latest comments therefore represent something more definitive: rather than continuing to debate the terminology publicly, she now describes herself as pansexual.
A Partner’s Gender Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
Anderson’s comments also highlight an important distinction between someone’s current relationship and their broader understanding of attraction.
The actress has been linked to playwright and screenwriter Peter Morgan, and her current or recent relationships have involved men. But, as her comments make clear, having a male partner doesn’t necessarily determine how she understands her sexuality.
For Anderson, attraction is not limited to one gender.
That distinction is at the heart of the term pansexual, which generally describes attraction to people regardless of gender or without gender being a defining factor in attraction.