“Doctor Who” Actress Lily Cole Comes Out as Queer

Actress and model Lily Cole speaks at a screening of Asghar Farhadi’s film The Salesman in Trafalgar Square in London
Model and activist Lily Cole is opening up about her LGBTQ identity.
REUTERS/Neil Hall

Lily Cole, an international supermodel and actress on the British sci-fi series “Doctor Who,” came out out as queer in her new book and further discussed her sexuality in an interview with The Sunday Times.

“Just as we do not choose the circumstances and ancestral patterns we are born into, none of us choose the cultural norms and laws we inherit,” Cole wrote in her book, entitled “Who Cares Wins: How to Protect the Planet You Love.” “Had my mixed-race daughter been born in a different country, she would have been a crime. If I were living in another country today, my queerness would be a crime.”

The 33-year-old environmental campaigner and fashionista’s book dives deeper into the solutions to end the global climate crisis. Cole’s book balances her environmental work with details about her personal life and finding her authentic self.

Cole further expanded on those points in an interview with The Sunday Times’ style section, where she spoke candidly about her activism and connection to the LGBTQ community.

“I have lots of friends who identify as bisexual, lesbian or whatever, who also identify as queer,” Cole said. “I’ve always been quite private about my private life, consciously, and I want to continue to be, so I don’t feel the need to be explicit. At the same time I feel the need to acknowledge that I am not straight.”

 

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For years, the star has been in a relationship with multiracial entrepreneur Kwame Ferreira, and they have one child named Wylde. Cole garnered attention early on in her career after she graced the cover of British Vogue at 16 years old. Since then, she has appeared in other high-profile fashion publications and movies, including “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Snow White,” “the Hunstman,” and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”

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