A 91-year-old woman has come out on live TV, despite being "a little bit in danger of becoming a gay icon".
Barbara Hosking, former aide to British Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and Edward Heath, shared the news on BBC Radio 5, opening up about her partner of 20 years. Hosking said the move was prompted by her forthcoming memoir.
“I could hardly write a book about my life without talking about the fact that I have been gay," she said. “I think I say in the book that I first fell in love when I was six years old.”
Asked whether she'd ever told her family about her sexuality, she said: “No, my family never knew. I never told my parents.” She went on to state that this was a conscious decision as her parents would not have understood.
“I lead a conventional life, and actually that’s just one part of it," she continued. "And in a way, it's not that important."
"I have been very happy. I’ve had a very full life,” said Hosking. “I have a civil partnership… with my partner Margaret, who is a good 20 years younger than I am.”
She continued: “She makes sure that I am sensible, and do sensible things. I mean, I’m still inclined to be a bit hasty in some of the things I do."
On her decision to come out publicly, the 91-year-old said: “I love it, and it is odd that at my age, I really do enjoy the fact that I can be totally free with people.”
