“I didn’t know I was a lesbian until I was 15” – Adele Roberts talks about dealing with her sexuality

Virgin Radio

June 2, 2024, 12:36

Adele Roberts and Kate Holderness have spoken about their experiences of coming out and understanding their sexuality.

The pair appeared on Virgin Radio Pride this weekend with Steve Denyer to launch the station and talk about some of their favourite queer TV shows.

For Adele and Kate, a formative series was “The L Word,” a long-running series about the lives and loves of a group of lesbians and bisexuals in Los Angeles.

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It was especially important for Adele to see herself represented in this way, as she struggled to come to terms with her sexuality as a teenager.

“I didn’t realise I was a lesbian until later, when I was about 15,” Adele explained. “Kate is a little younger than me and I think she’s always been comfortable with herself.”

Kate replied: “I feel very lucky because there are people like you and people who have done so much good. I’ve never really come out; I’ve always just been gay and I think that’s because I’ve been so lucky to live in a time after the people who have done so much good.”

“Although I struggled a bit,” Adele added.

She continued: “There was a time when I didn’t understand it at first, and then when I did, I felt like I had done something wrong. I felt like I had let my family down, and it took me a while to come to terms with my feelings.”

Adele and Kate have been together since they met in 2004 and have become committed advocates for LGBTQ+ representation.

They are also campaigning for greater awareness of ostomy bags and bowel cancer after Adele was diagnosed with the disease in 2021. After intensive treatment, Adele is now cancer-free but will have to wear an ostomy bag (which she calls Audrey) while her bowel recovers.

Her mission is to break down the stigma surrounding her diagnosis, and Adele announced that she and Kate plan to write a children’s book to do just that.

She explained: “We would love to do a children’s book together to raise awareness of ostomy disease. There are three of us here, including my little ostomate, who is called Audrey. We would love to do a children’s book to give children better representation and show them that it’s OK to be a little different.”

Find out what else is on the agenda Virgin Radio Pride here this week.

Virgin Radio Pride UK will broadcast from 1 June to 31 August 2024. Ask your smart speaker to play “Virgin Radio Pride”. Visit us online at virginradiopride.comon the free Virgin Radio app or on DAB digital radio in Greater London and Scotland.