Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning shares she was celibate for 36 years before coming out

Jessica Gunning has said she had never been in a relationship and was celibate for 36 years before realising she was gay.

The actress is best known for playing Martha in Baby Reindeer, the Netflix limited series created by and starring Richard Gadd. The show, released in April 2024, is based on Gadd’s autobiographical stage work and went on to win multiple major awards, including Emmys and Golden Globes. 

In an interview with The Times, Gunning said, “I think it’s because I’ve never been in a relationship before. With anyone.”

Jessica Gunning came out in November 2022 at the age of 36

She added that her work as an actor had been central to her sense of identity: “The characters I got to play, I felt like I maybe lived vicariously through a lot of them.

“I felt very sexual, and I felt very connected to myself, so I was so happy in so many ways. It didn’t feel like I was lonely. I lived with my best mate. I felt fulfilled. So I didn’t feel like I was lacking anything.”

When asked directly, she said: “Yeah, apart from sex.”

Gunning came out in November 2022 at the age of 36, describing it as a significant personal moment after years of not recognising her sexuality.

“I’m surrounded by gays; all my friends are gay, and so it wasn’t that I was repressing anything” – Gunning on her coming out journey

Speaking on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast following the release of Baby Reindeer, she said: “That was a mega, mega thing for me. I’m surrounded by gays; all my friends are gay, and so it wasn’t that I was repressing anything.

“It was just that I didn’t think I could be, and I still can’t articulate it in the best way.”

She added that she had previously attributed feelings of difference to other factors, including her body image, before reassessing that view. 

Describing the moment of recognition, she said she realised she was a “big old gay”.