In a recent interview with The Guardian, 35-year-old British actor Ben Whishaw said staying in the closet β€œjust made it worse.” After rising to fame in Cloud Atlas (2012) and Skyfall (2012), Whishaw faced rumors around his sexuality until he came out as gay in 2013.

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In 2013, Whishaw’s rep confirmed he was gay to the Daily Mail saying, β€œBen has never hidden his sexuality, but like many actors he prefers not to discuss his family or life outside of his work … Due to speculation, I can confirm that Ben and Mark entered into a civil partnership in August 2012. They were proud to do so and are very happy.”

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He told The Guardian staying in the closet made life harder β€œbecause then people assume you’ve got some really juicy, awful thing that you’re keeping from them.” He added, β€œNow people aren’t that interested, because now there’s nothing being concealed.”

Whishaw is nominated for a BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor for his role in the BBC drama London Spy.