Coronation Street star was ‘terrified’ about coming out at as bisexual at 67
Amanda Barrie says she was terrified about coming out in case people did not want to work with her.
Former Coronation Street actress Amanda Barrie has admitted that it’s taken her a long time to be open about her personal life – after coming out as bisexual aged 67.
Barrie – who played Weatherfield’s feisty Alma Baldwin for 13 years – married her wife, crime author Hilary Bonner, in 2014, aged 79.
The actress revealed that she could not be happier that attitudes towards sexuality have finally changed, after keeping her own a secret for so long.
“I was terrified, there was an attitude that certain people wouldn’t work with you, it was taboo,” she told The Mirror.
“Everything changes so quickly – in a wonderful way.”
“If you did it now, nobody would notice, and it’s not that long ago,” she added.
“Nobody at Coronation Street knew but my very close friends Helen Worth, Sue Nicholls and Barbara Knox.”
Barrie – who has also starred in Bad Girls and Holby City – says she publicly came out as bisexual in her 2003 autobiography because she “wanted it off my chest”.
“When I did my autobiography, I was being hounded by people asking about my sexuality – which had always been a confusion to me, never mind anyone else,” she revealed.
“So I did the book because I thought, ‘I’m bloody well putting my side of how it is’. I wanted it off my chest.”
Discussing her wedding to Bonner in 2014, the actress described the pair’s “wonderful day”.
“I’m very anxious about big occasions but I think you have to do it in this day and age to make things legal,” she said.
“And it was great actually, it was memorable.”
Last week, Ofcom rejected 67 complaints about a vicar’s gay kiss on Coronation Street.
Like Barrie, you might think that in 2016 people would might better things to do than take issue with every single gay kiss on a TV show… but apparently not.
