'I'm a lesbian,' declares Top Gun siren Kelly McGillis



She has long been plagued by rumours about her sexuality.

But now Kelly McGillis, who made her name alongside Tom Cruise in the film Top Gun, has finally revealed she is gay.

The 51-year-old actress, who has been married twice and who has two teenage children, has always denied suggestions that she had had lesbian relationships.



'I'm done with the man thing': Kelly McGillis pictured in 1989 film Cat Chaser, has been married twice, but has finally revealed she is gay

Miss McGillis, who is currently single, came out during an interview with lesbian website Shewired.com.

She has claimed to have battled with her sexuality for more than 40 years and that for long periods of her life she was convinced she was being ' punished by God' for being gay.

Eighties pin-up: Kelly won a legion of male fans playing Tom Cruise's love interest Charlie in Top Gun in 1986

However, she told the website that she had finally decided to 'move on with her life' and admit she was a lesbian.

During the video interview, she was asked if she was single before being questioned over whether she would now date a man or a woman.



She replied: 'Definitely a woman. I'm done with the man thing.'

She added: 'It's a part of being true to yourself. That's been a challenge for me personally.'

The actress married her first husband, Boyd Black, in 1979 but they split three years later.



Her second husband was California millionaire Fred Tillian, by whom she has daughters Kelsey, 19, and Sonora, 16.

The couple split in 2002 after 13 years together.

Miss McGillis said that it took her a long time to accept she was homosexual.

'I think that was an ongoing process from the time I was probably 12,' she said. 'It was a long arduous journey for me.



Moving on: Kelly with her ex-husband Fred Tillman in 1999

'I had a lot of things happen that convinced me God was punishing me because I was gay. That was a hard process.

'Life is a journey and it's about growing and changing and coming to terms with who and what you are and loving who and what you are.'

Gritty film roles: Kelly played a prosecutor alongside Jodie Foster in The Accused in 1998

The actress became famous for playing U.S. Air Force training instructor Charlie Blackwood alongside Cruise in Top Gun in 1986.

She also played Harrison Ford's love interest in the Oscar- winning 1985 film Witness.

In 1982, she was assaulted and raped in her home by an intruder.



She relived the ordeal in 1988 when she played a lawyer fighting for a rape conviction in The Accused, the film for which Jodie Foster won an Oscar for her portrayal of the victim.

In 2001, she played an English professor who has a relationship with a woman detective in the film Monkey's Mask.

She said at the time: 'I knew this movie would start all that lesbian thing up again and it doesn't bother me.

'It isn't about me coming out but if people want to think that, that's fine. I don't care.'

She also denied she was homosexual after an appearance in U.S. drama The L Word in 2007, which portrayed the lives of lesbian women.

Risqué: Kelly (top) with Susie Porter (bottom) in a lesbian love scene in 2000 movie The Monkey's Mask



