Coronation Street legend Amanda Barrie has opened up about why she came out as bisexual in her late 60s, revealing she feared she would be 'stoned' if she had shared her sexuality earlier. The 90-year-old actress, best known for playing Alma Sedgewick on and off for 20 years until 2001 on the ITV soap, said she came out later in life because she felt she was being 'dishonest'.
Coming Out at 67
At the age of 67, Barrie came out as bisexual in her 2002 autobiography It’s Not A Rehearsal: The Autobiography. She spoke about it on television for the first time on the chat show Richard And Judy, hosted by Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. She had previously stated that she believed TV executives on the Salford-based soap would have 'sacked' her if she had come out while she was on the show.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, June 25, she explained her decision: 'I felt as if I was sort of cheating in some way, that although all my friends, family, anybody have always known what I was doing, which has been varied over the years, I give you that, but it felt that I couldn’t be honest.'
Fear of Backlash
When asked about the reaction after she came out, Barrie said: 'I thought that day when I came out I thought “I should be stoned in the street, people will actually refuse to put me in a taxi. I shall be barred from Tesco's.” I don’t know what I thought. I just thought something ghastly would happen.'
Despite her fears, Barrie, who has been married to novelist Hilary Bonner for nearly 10 years, said 'absolutely nothing' happened after she came out. Instead, she 'got more of a hug than a stone thrown at me'.
Career Highlights
In addition to her iconic role on Coronation Street, Barrie is also known for starring in two of the famous 1960s Carry On films: Carry On Cabby and Carry On Cleo. She also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
