She signed up to the Women’s Royal Army CorpsĪ fellow soldier kissed her at the bathroom block and, says Kelly: “I realised I must be gay then, because it felt good.
And back then, school sex education was nothing to do with being gay.” Read More Related Articles I didn’t have any role models in anything like that. She says: “It was an era where the stigma of homosexuality was really bad because of the AIDS epidemic. Yet, for Kelly, sexuality wasn't even on her radar when she dated boys as a teenager in Hildenborough, Kent. One problem, Kelly says, is that the more famous she became, the harder it was to come out. They haven’t been in this fearful world with me for 34 years.” Of previous partners, she adds: “No disrespect to them, but the relationships have only been a small part of my life. She has a partner and, while she doesn’t want to give details, she smiles and says: “It’s the first time I’ve had someone who I don’t introduce as a PA or friend.”
(Image: David Parry/PA Wire)įamily and close friends have known for years that Kelly is gay.