Baby Reindeer star Jessica Gunning has opened up about coming out as gay at the age of 36.
Now 38, Gunning is best known for her role as stalker Martha Scott in the hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer, which catapulted her to fame and brought more attention to her personal life.
A longtime LGBTQ+ activist, she publicly came out in November 2022, describing it as a "mega, mega thing" but admitted that her sexuality had been a "little secret" she had kept, even from herself.
In an interview, she humorously referred to herself as a "big old gay," which subsequently hit the headlines.
While accepting The Culture Award at the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar, she reflected on the moment, saying: “I feel like a fairly new gay, and I’m very chuffed to be here.
“I did a lovely podcast called Reign recently, where I mentioned I was a big old gay. The next thing I know, it’s Jessica Gunning saying, ‘Comes out as big old gay.’ Well, those three words are true, so I have to own it.
“This big old gay is very happy to be here with you this evening.”
The stage star appeared in the 2014 film Pride, which tells the story of gay activists supporting the miners' strike in the 1980s.
To mark the film's tenth anniversary, she was invited to participate in a Q&A session with fans.
Reflecting on the experience, Gunning shared on stage while accepting her award: "I realised I hadn’t watched the film since coming out, so I thought it would be great to attend and see it again."
“It was really emosh actually. I have always obviously been a big, old gay but it took me 36 years to realise it.
She continued: “As I was watching, me on the screen I was like 'I am gay there'. I should have known in hindsight because I cried so much during that film, all the time and even in my audition. As I left the first audition, I said to Stephen the writer, 'this is the best thing I have ever read, I cried my t**s off'."
“It has just been amazing to watch that film back and actually watching everything I have done back. I have always been a big, old gay but not knowing it.
#BabyReindeer’s Jessica Gunning picks up the Culture Award, supported by @jaguar 🎭#AttitudeAwards pic.twitter.com/jBwuOgDOZW
— Attitude Magazine (@AttitudeMag) October 9, 2024
“If I knew what I was doing Pride that I would be here, ten years on, feeling the most myself I have ever felt and the most welcome in a room like this, I would have been very proud indeed.”
In June, the British star shared her personal coming out story and admitted that she initially didn't think she “could be” gay.
Gunning described how liberating it now feels to live as her authentic self. She came out to her private circle two years ago. Appearing on the podcast, Reign with Josh Smith, the 38-year-old shared: “I came out in November 2022. And that was a mega, mega thing for me.
“I am surrounded by gays, like all my friends are gay, so it wasn’t that I was repressing anything, it was just that I didn’t think that I could be.
“I still can’t articulate it in the best way. But I realised I was a big, old gay. I was like, ‘That’s what it’s been, that’s what it is’. And that was like a massive moment where everything kind of clicked and I made sense of myself then.”
Among the other winners was reigning Eurovision Song Contest winner Nemo, who scooped the Person of the Year award, while former Eurovision champion Lulu, who represented the UK in 1969, received the Honorary Gay award.
