The “Grease” star, 82, was in a relationship with cinematographer Daniel Gillham from 1990 to 2014.
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Just like her tough girl persona in “Grease,” Stockard Channing can take care of herself.
In a new essay for The Sunday Times, the Oscar-nominated actress, who played rebellious party girl Rizzo in the iconic movie musical, opened up about her isolated lifestyle following the death of her longtime partner Daniel Gillham.
Channing, 82, was previously married to wood sculptor and venture capitalist Walter Channing Jr. (1963-1967), translator and poet Paul Schmidt (1970-1976), writer David Debin (1976-1980) and businessman David Rawle (1980-1988).
Two years after her divorce from Rawle, the actress began dating Gillham, a cinematographer. The pair were in a relationship from 1990 until Gillham’s death in 2014.
“Since just before COVID, I’ve been living in London,” Channing wrote. “My partner, Daniel, died in 2014 and it was more devastating than I realized; it had a lag effect. The pattern of my life shifted, so I shifted my life from Maine.”
Channing said her move to the U.K. “vaguely coincided with [Donald] Trump getting elected and the way politics has changed in the U.S.” In the decade since Gillham’s death, the “Six Degrees of Separation” star said she hasn’t coupled up with anyone else.
“I’ve lived alone since I lost Daniel, and I’m happy being a recluse,” Channing wrote. “I was married four times before Daniel, and they all represent epochs of me. I grew up in the ’60s, reacting to that repressed notion of marriage and sexuality from the ’50s — kinda like Rizzo.”
Channing also reflected on her family life in the personal essay. The actress did not share any children with Gillham, nor does she have kids from her previous marriages.
“Children were thought about and, yeah, I think about them now because it’d be great to have someone taking care of me,” Channing wrote. “But hey, children can be just as selfish as everybody else out there.”
While Channing may be keeping things low-key at home, the Hollywood veteran remains booked and busy – at least for now.
The actress is set to reprise her “Practical Magic” role in the film’s upcoming sequel, and she’s directing a production of the Samuel Beckett play “Krapp’s Last Tape” in Edinburgh, Scotland, later this year.
“I’m not sure I’ll do anything after that,” Channing wrote. “Acting is like everything in life; you never know what’s going to happen.”