Jessica Gunning was honoured with The Culture Award at the Attitude Awards 2024 on Wednesday at The Roundhouse in Camden, after coming out two years ago.
While across the pond, her Baby Reindeer co-star Richard Gadd attended the 2024 Time100 Next Gala at Chelsea Piers in New York.
Jessica, 38, looked glamorous in a black tuxedo style jumpsuit with satin lapels and a matching belt, while adding a pop of colour with a neon orange bag.
The Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards celebrate the brightest and best from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, with a number of awards handed out.
The actress was presented with her prize by comedian and writer Jack Rooke, looking delighted by the honour.
Jessica Gunning was honoured with The Culture Award the Attitude Awards 2024 on Wednesday at The Roundhouse in Camden, after coming out two years ago
While across the pond, her Baby Reindeer co-star Richard Gadd attended the 2024 Time100 Next Gala at Chelsea Piers in New York
Jessica, 38, looked glamorous in a black tuxedo style jumpsuit with satin lapels and a matching belt, while adding a pop of colour with a neon orange bag
The Emmy-winning star came out almost two years ago, in November 2022, after finally realising she was a ‘big old gay’.
She admitted it had taken years to make the realisation as she hadn’t thought she could be gay, despite multiple signs ‘staring her in the face’, such as when kissing Cate Blanchett on stage every night during a production of When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other.
Jessica explained how it was like a secret she had kept from herself for many years, and gushed that finally coming out was ‘liberating’ and ‘special’.
Opening about coming out for the first time on the Reign podcast in June, she recalled: ‘I came out in November 2022. And that was a mega, mega thing for me because I for so long…
‘I am surrounded by gays, like all my friends are gay, so it wasn’t that I was repressing anything, it was just that I didn’t think that I could be.
‘I still can’t articulate it in the best way. But I realised I was a big, old gay. I was like, “That’s what it’s been, that’s what it is”. And that was like a massive moment where everything kind of clicked and I made sense of myself then.’
She continued: ‘Because for so long I’d thought, “I know I’m a bigger woman”, and I thought that maybe it was to do with my size that I felt a bit like almost alien or like I was tagging along.
‘But as soon as I realised, I was like “No, it’s that”‘, and that was like the most liberating thing.’
The Emmy-winning star came out almost two years ago, in November 2022, after finally realising she was a ‘big old gay’
Jessica explained how it was like a secret she had kept from herself for many years, and gushed that finally coming out was ‘liberating’ and ‘special’ (pictured in April)
She quipped: ‘And again, looking at Take That going ‘S**t, who is fit in this picture?’ Again should have known. And I used to wear like dungarees, stereotypical I know, bum bag, wearing backwards ‘No Fear’ cap when I was a teenager.
‘So everyone around me probably was like “When is she going to come out?” And it took me 36 years.’
In 2014, Jessica starred in historical comedy-drama Pride, following the historical actions of the gay community to rid the country of stigma around sexuality.
Reflecting on the project, she said: ‘I should have even known when I did Pride because I would cry all the time. I found it so emotional I should have really known then.
‘And then I did a play with Cate Blanchett where I got to kiss her every night on stage. Again, I should have known then. All these signs from pre-Reindeer staring me in the face.’
Detailing how her life has been since coming out as gay, she said: ‘It’s been amazing, and very freeing and very grounding. I feel like really peaceful actually.
‘Naively I always used to think it would be just like a sexual thing. It’s not that in any way, you’re going “this is who I am”. And it’s actually really emotional.
‘Some of my straight friends have actually said they envy people being able to come out because it’s like a celebration of who you are.
Jessica blew fans away with her controversial role of Martha the stalker in Netflix series Baby Reindeer, based on Richard’s real life experience
The show amassed huge success, becoming one of Netflix’s most watched shows ever and bagging a staggering four Emmys last month, including Outstanding Supporting Actress for Jessica and Outstanding Writing and Lead Actor for Richard
The actor, 35, looked sharp at the Time event on Wednesday evening, sporting a black double breasted blazer and collared shirt
‘I think we’re coming into a time when we won’t ever need to really come out, but when you do it is so exposing, but it’s also really lovely because you’re going “This is my soul a bit”, you’re going “This is who I am”.
‘And you’re getting to have all those amazing chats with your loved ones. It’s really special. And loads of my friends have shared that sometimes it wasn’t really that easy and that’s emotional too. Everyone’s been amazing, so supportive.’
Jessica blew fans away with her controversial role of Martha the stalker in Netflix series Baby Reindeer, based on Richard’s real life experience.
The series shows Martha’s obsession developing as she emails Richard’s character Donny hundreds of times a day, turning up outside his house and harassing his family and friends.
The show amassed huge success, becoming one of Netflix’s most watched shows ever and bagging a staggering four Emmys last month, including Outstanding Supporting Actress for Jessica and Outstanding Writing and Lead Actor for Richard.
The actor, 35, looked sharp at the Time event on Wednesday evening, sporting a black double breasted blazer and collared shirt.
The Time 100 Next gala celebrated those who made the publication’s 2024 list, such as pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter, Bridgerton favorite Nicola Coughlan and model-turned-actress Kaia Gerber.