Author Jacqueline Wilson has publicly come out as gay and revealed she's been living with her partner Trish for 18 years.
The Tracy Beaker writer, 74, has opened up about her personal life for the first time as she explained she's been living "very happily" with her girlfriend.
She revealed: "I've never really been in any kind of closet.
"It would be such old news for anybody that has ever known anything much about me. Even the vaguest acquaintance knows perfectly well that we are a couple."
Jacqueline had been married to police officer William Millar Wilson for 39 years up until their divorce in 2004.
Explaining that only her mum was initially "appalled" at her relationship with Trish, she pointed out: "That wasn’t too devastating for me because my mum cordially hated my ex-husband; she didn’t really approve of any of my friends."
The mum-of-one is currently gearing up to publish her forthcoming book Love, Frankie which Jacqueline based on a love story between two girls in school.
But the writer was quick to tell The Guardian that she by no means thinks of herself as a role model for youngsters who struggle with their sexuality, adding that she believes there are more "glamorous" role models out there.
She added: "I don’t think that girls would ever want a grey-haired, wrinkly writer as a role model if they were wanting to feel good about maybe being gay."
But despite being a part of the LGBTQ community, Jacqueline has previously found herself in hot water for sharing her thoughts on transgender children and young people.
The writer opened up about whether she would ever include a trans character in her work.
She's known for tackling troubling and controversial subjects in her stories, having written about alcoholism, children in care, council housing and mental health problems.
However her answer on this specific matter has divided fans, with many branding her "ignorant" for her comments.
When asked if she would ever write about a trans character, Wilson replied: "If there was a really strong reason for me wanting to write about a trans child then possibly, but I wouldn't want people to think I'd jumped on the bandwagon just because it's current and in the news.
"If only everybody could be and act exactly the way they want to but not change themselves physically, I think that would be easier."
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