American talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres has said there was a "whole lot of anger and depression" after she came out.
The 58-year-old said that when she went public about her sexuality, in 1997, it was initially celebrated.
But DeGeneres told the Mail on Sunday's You magazine: "Then it just turned, and I mean, turned. Obviously, worrying about what would happen afterwards is why it took me so long to come out.
"I was a very insecure person and depended on validation from people who watched my show or my stand-up - validation I felt I'd lose if everybody knew who I really was.
"Afterwards, there were jokes at my expense and I couldn't turn on the TV at night without some comedian or talk show host making fun of me. Not for a minute did I regret doing what I did, but it was hard."
She added: "There was a whole lot of anger and depression, and it was scary because I was also running out of money."
But now DeGeneres said her career "couldn't be in a better place".
DeGeneres voices the protagonist fish in Pixar animated film Finding Dory, which is being released in the UK on July 29. It is a sequel to the 2003 film, Finding Nemo.