Jacqueline Wilson has weighed in on her status as a ‘gay icon’ and admitted she never saw it coming in her seventies.
The British author, 79, who was previously married to a man, opened up on her sexuality and didn’t see herself with a same-sex partner.
Jacqueline came out as gay when she announced she was in a relationship with her partner Trish Beswick in 2020, despite living together for 18 years.
The timing of her announcement coincided with the publication of her novel Love Frankie, a book about a lesbian love affair.
Jacqueline has often been asked why she hasn’t written more gay characters, but previously wrote about a same-sex relationship in her 1988 book, This Girl.
The story featured a young nanny who fell for another girl, though the writer admits she left the ending ambiguous.
Jacqueline Wilson has opened up on her sexuality as she admitted she ‘never thought’ she’d end up dating a same-sex partner
The 79-year-old celebrated British novelist came out as gay in 2020, when she announced she was in a relationship with her partner Trish Beswick
Reflecting on this, she told The Telegraph: ‘They did end up together but I was a little artful because I didn’t think the time was right to put female queer characters in a book. At the time I had no idea that I would have a same-sex partner.’
Jacqueline met her partner Trish at a party and the couple have lived together for almost two decades since.
Despite it being considered ‘old news’ to people who knew her, the children’s author is ‘delighted’ to be regarded as a gay icon – four years after coming out.
She continued: ‘I didn’t really think anyone would give a damn who I was living with, but I’m being teased now by my friends because several people have said, “Oh you’re a gay icon now”, which I would have never contemplated.’
The writer was previously married to police officer William Millar Wilson, who she wed in 1965 and split from in 2004.
In 2017, typically-private Wilson said of her marriage to her ex husband: ‘My marriage was OK, but my ex-husband and I didn’t have an enormous amount in common.’
Following the split, the iconic author mused over the demise of their marriage, saying: ‘For many years I stuck it out because that is what you did…
‘Although in actual fact, my husband eventually left me. We’re still relatively friendly and the last 20 years since we’ve been separated have been wonderful.’
Wilson has often been asked why she hasn’t written more about gay characters, although she previously wrote about same-sex relationships in her 1988 book, This Girl
Jacqueline met her partner Trish at a party and the couple have lived together for 18 years
The former couple share daughter Emma, a 57-year-old academic. Speaking of her love for her daughter, she previously said: ‘Emma is the love of my life…
‘I adore her. I’ve been so lucky. We’ve always been close and now she’s grown up we’re still great friends. I had Emma when I was very young…
‘We chat on the phone every day now and recommend books to each other and meet whenever we can go shopping and see an exhibition.’
In April 2019, Jacqueline hit headlines when she revealed she is concerned about transgender children who take action to transition at a young age.
Jacqueline said she is ‘very, very worried’ about children who take hormones and warned against the potentially ‘devastating consequences’ of having gender reassignment surgery.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Wilson said she believed such decisions should only be taken in adulthood.
‘Some people, right from the time that they are toddlers, are aware that something is wrong and they wish that they could be the other sex,’ she said.
