‘It was more devastating than I realised’: Grease icon Stockard Channing says she’s ‘happy being a recluse’ after being widowed
The actress gives an honest account of what her life looks like in the aftermath of her husband's death
While she's best known for her iconic portrayal of Rizzo in Grease, Stockard Channing has enjoyed a long and varied acting career.
This includes appearing as First Lady Abbey Bartlet in The West Wing, Veronica Loy in The Good Wife, and her Emmy-winning performance as Judy in The Matthew Shepard Story.
Off screen, the actress has experienced an equally varied life. After studying history and literature at Harvard University, her acting career took off and she married four times.
Since her partner, Dan Gillham, died in 2014, Stockard relocated from Maine to London, and now says she lives "happily as a recluse" in the city.
"It was more devastating than I realised; it had a lag effect," the actress tells The Times of her partner's death. Explaining why she then chose to move to London, she adds, " The pattern of my life shifted, so I shifted my life from Maine."
Stockard shares that she hasn't felt the need to date or find another partner, revealing, "I’ve lived alone since I lost Daniel and I’m happy being a recluse."
She continues, "I was married four times before Daniel and they all represent epochs of me. I grew up in the Sixties, reacting to that repressed notion of marriage and sexuality from the Fifties - kinda like Rizzo."
The star doesn't have any children, and says the idea was "thought about" but ultimately didn't happen. "I think about them now because it’d be great to have someone taking care of me," she says.
However, Stockard understands that you can't rely on your children to look after you or be there for you, sharing, "children can be just as selfish as everybody else out there."
She delves into what she does to care for her mental health, but can sometimes feel a little anxious.
"Pottering is my meditation," she explains, adding, "moving things from that pile to that pile. If I can’t sleep, it’s probably just my subconscious clearing out stuff."
"Do I ever feel anxious? Sure, but that’s the price you pay for getting rid of the garbage."
She is still working, currently directing Krapp’s Last Tape at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and has appeared in theatre productions over the last couple of years, including The Gates of Kyiv, White Rabbit Red Rabbit and Elektra.
Outside of work she appears to keep things lowkey, and doesn't give too much concern to her appearance. "If I’m leaving the apartment I comb my hair, but I don’t have a wardrobe of designer outfits," she shares.
The actress continues, "Do I care how I look? Most actors do - although part of your job is not being self-conscious."
Revealing that she's never "considered myself as beautiful," she concludes matter-of-factly, "And I’m not a celebrity 'tart.' I’m just me, take it or leave it.
