Actress Anne Heche revealed a secret about her relationship with TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres. As she wanted to be open about her relationship to DeGeneres, she even lost out on a multimillion-dollar movie, she revealed. She opened up about her personal issue during the show "Dancing With The Stars."
Heche was in a relationship with DeGeneres from 1997 to 2000. Before taking part in the ABC reality show and stepping on the dance floor, Heche spoke to the anchor and explained about the hardships she went through in the three-and-a-half-years. "My story moved the needle for equal rights forward, when I fell in love with Ellen DeGeneres," said Heche.
Relationship And The Consequences
"The stigma attached to that relationship was so bad that I was fired from my multimillion-dollar picture deal and I did not work in a studio picture for 10 years," said Heche. She also spoke about being forced out of the premier show of her movie Volcano.
She wanted to take DeGeneres as her date for the premiere show of Volcano, which she had starred in. But the Fox Studios executives refused to accept it and said that if she got DeGeneres to the show, she would lose the Fox contract. In fact, she was made to leave the show even before it ended.
Heche said that DeGeneres had warned her of what was ahead of them. When Fox authorities became furious, DeGeneres took Heche's hand and said, 'Do what they say.' But Heche's reply was, 'No thanks.' As a result, she was asked not to attend the after party of the movie as the production house was scared that Heche would be pictured with a woman.
Multicolored Warrior
The actress had to keep away from studio for 10 years because she revealed her sexual orientation. Heche had met DeGeneres in 1997 during a Vanity Fair Oscars party. "That was the night that changed my life forever," Heche said.
Heche took to stage in a rainbow outfit. "I feel redeemed," said Heche after the performance. The 51-year-old actress danced with Keo Motsepe to katy Perry's single Rise. Judge Bruno Tonioli said that he really admired her for what she did. "Very few people have the courage," said Tonioli and called her multicolored warrior. Judges Derek Hough and Carrie Ann Inaba also complimented Heche.
Before the show began, Heche teased Monday's episode on Instagram. She tagged Katy Perry and posted: "Here we go! Tonight I Rise! @katyperry I hope you tune in to @dancingabc where I will talk about my story in the '90s and how standing up for #lgbtq rights impacted my career in a way that it would not today."
In the post she made it clear that whatever happened then, despite the consequences she had to bear, she would not change any of it. "I will always fight for the right to live openly and proudly in truth," Heche said.
