The Crown’s Erin Doherty ‘felt a lot of pressure to withhold sexuality’ in fear of jeopardising a ‘successful career’
metro.co.ukThe Crown star Erin Doherty has revealed she felt ‘a lot of pressure’ to withhold her sexuality, and questioned whether going public with her relationship with her girlfriend would jeopardise her career.The 30-year-old actress played Princess Anne in the third and fourth seasons of the hit Netflix drama, which dramatises the life and reign of the Queen.Erin, who is in a relationship with Call The Midwife actress Sophie Melville, has opened up on the pressures she felt and the difficulties she faced in expressing her sexuality, as she discussed how hard it must have been for women in the royal family to express their own sexuality.She shared: ‘I felt a lot of pressure to withhold my sexuality,’ adding that when she landed her role in The Crown, she felt reluctant to be open about her sexuality in case of it jeopardising her career.‘There was a period of time when I was like, do I get to be open about this in order to have a successful career?’ she continued to The Telegraph.‘And the fact that that question still went through my mind, and may still go through other people’s minds, is so gutting.’Erin added: ‘I’m really aware of all the people who have lived years and years and years, either in shame or denial, or just hiding – actors, actresses definitely stopping it getting out there in order to have a career – and I just want to be a part of trying to do something about that.’Erin met Sophie in 2017, when the pair starred together in Alan Ayckbourn’s play The Divide, however, it wasn’t until two years later when Erin shared pictures of them together on Instagram.Speaking about playing the Princess Royal, Erin commented on how ‘aware’ Princess Anne would have been about coming under scrutiny for being as open about her.
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