Stockard Channing, the actress best known for playing Rizzo in the 1978 musical Grease, has revealed she now lives as a 'happy recluse' in London. The 82-year-old moved to the UK capital seven years ago, just before the pandemic, following the death of her long-term partner, producer Dan Gillham, in 2014.
Life After Loss
In a candid interview with The Times, Channing spoke about her relocation: "Since just before Covid I've been living in London. My partner, Daniel, died in 2014 and it was more devastating than I realised; it had a lag effect. The pattern of my life shifted, so I shifted my life from Maine."
She explained that her move 'vaguely coincided' with Donald Trump's election and changing politics in the US. Since Dan's death, she has lived alone, but she insists she is content: "I'm happy being a recluse."
Reflections on Marriage and Career
Channing, who has been married four times, reflected on her past relationships: "I was married four times before Daniel and they all represent epochs of me. I grew up in the Sixties, reacting to that repressed notion of marriage and sexuality from the Fifties – kinda like Rizzo."
She also touched on motherhood, saying: "Children were thought about and, yeah, I think about them now because it'd be great to have someone taking care of me. But hey, children can be just as selfish as everybody else out there."
The star, who also appeared in The Good Wife, has been married and divorced four times. Her first husband was wood sculptor Walter Channing Jr (1963-1967), then professor Paul Schmidt (1970-1976), writer and producer David Deblin (1976-1980), and businessman David Rawle (1980-1988). She met Dan in 1990 and remained with him until his death in 2014.
