Ellen Page has revealed that coming out was among the scariest things she’s ever done.
Earlier this year, the ‘Juno’ actress announced during a speech at a conference for LGBT youth in Las Vegas that she was a lesbian, telling crowds: “I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission. I suffered for years because I was scared to be out. My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationships suffered.”
During a chat with Ellen DeGeneres, who herself came out in 1997, she revealed just how scared she was before delivering her speech, saying she was “the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life, for sure”, adding: “I think my biggest fear of doing it was just having a panic attack, quite frankly.”
Ellen Page talks about coming out on 'Ellen'
However, despite her nervousness beforehand, she also opened up about how much better she feels now that she is open and honest about her sexuality.
She explained: “I knew I would be a happier person, I knew that I was going to feel better and I did not anticipate just how happy I would feel. It’s really been quite extraordinary to feel the shift, and it was pretty much overnight too.”
The actress also discussed the “toxic” shame she carried around before coming out, adding: “I was carrying a tremendous amount of shame and guilt for not being out, and felt isolated from the LGBT community. And now I don’t.”
Watch the pair's full interview below:
LGBTQ Celebs
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