CORONATION Street star Shelley King has revealed how she tried and failed to have romantic relationships with men before coming out as gay.
The 65-year-old actress - who plays Yasmeen Nazir on the soap - says she came out to her parents at 42. Shelley has opened up about her sexuality and living as her authentic self in a new essay published in the Metro.
She explained how growing up without seeing lesbians represented in the media was damaging and she "tried to have relationships" with men.
As a teenager she was drawn to books, films and plays that were "all about women who were attracted to other women". But, she explained: "This was the early 70s and nothing I stumbled across seemed to have a happy ending." After becoming a professional.