Name: Jessica Gunning, 38.
Bio: Jessica Gunning is a prolific British stage and screen actress hailing from Holmfirth in Yorkshire. After appearances at Britain’s prestigious National Theater and supporting parts on TV, her first major recurring role was playing Angela, a computer researcher, on the long-running Law and Order UK.
Since then, she’s been a regular on film and TV in the U.K. and beyond, starring in Pride, the critically acclaimed film about British gay activists during the National Union of Mineworkers strike in 1984, and Stephen Merchant’s irreverent comedy series The Outlaws on the BBC.
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But it was the release of Netflix’s mega-hit Baby Reindeer that catapulted Gunning to her greatest heights yet. Her harrowing portrayal of Martha, who stalks the series’ protagonist, comedian Richard Gadd, earned her the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress this year.
Coming Out: Gunning’s coming out story contains multiple parts. Earlier this year, she revealed she came out to her friends and family in November 2022.
“That was a mega, mega thing for me,” she said on a podcast titled Reign with Josh Smith.
The podcast interview doubled as Gunning’s public coming out. And coincidently (or maybe not), it came during Pride Month.
“I still can’t articulate it in the best way, but I realized I was a big old gay, and I was like: ‘That’s what its been, that’s what it is,” she said.
“For so long, I’d thought—and I’m a bigger woman—and I thought maybe it was to do with my size, that I felt a little bit almost alien, or I was tagging along,” she continued. “But as soon as I realized, I was like: ‘No, it’s that.’ And that was the most liberating thing.”
Gunning’s announcement garnered support from stars across the entertainment world, including Broadway star and queer icon Cynthia Erivo.
“When she spoke about sleeping for 10 hours… I’m so glad she got a little peace,” she posted on Instagram.
Gunning leads with her trademark salt-of-the-earth humor whenever she talks about her coming out experience. She confesses that, even though she’s always had gay friends, she struggled to understand herself for years.
At the 10-year reunion for Pride, Gunning was invited for a Q&A with audience members. While speaking with fans, she explained she hadn’t re-watched the film since coming out.
When watching herself on screen, she told fans the following truth: “I am gay there.”
Reflecting on her coming out journey, Gunning said the younger version of herself would’ve been “very proud indeed.”
On Dating and the Future: While Gunning may be out, she’s not on the apps… at least not yet!
“I can’t really do them,” she recently told Attitude Magazine.
Dating aside, Gunning’s mark on the queer community has been nothing short of profound. When she was honored this year at the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, she remarked how honored she was to be recognized as a queer artist.
Gunning’s coming out journey has been winding and emotional, which seems fitting, considering her portrayal of Martha. In a recent interview with Awards Radar, Gunning said she acknowledges Martha’s complexities. “I find [Martha] endearing,” she said. “Complicated and actually cute.”
It seems that viewers, fans and artists alike agree! Now that Gunning is fully out, we can’t wait to see how she blossoms as a powerful queer voice in the entertainment world.
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