Gillian Anderson offers heartfelt thanks to ex-partner Peter Morgan in SAG Awards acceptance speech

The actress scooped the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series

Gillian Anderson at an awards evening
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Gillian Anderson was up against some stiff competition for top honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards 2021 - including co-star Olivia Colman. 

Gillian won the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown - one of the most prestigious accolades of the night. 

SAG Awards: Emma Corrin, Josh O'Connor, Stephen Boxer, Olivia Colman, Marion Bailey, and Gillian Anderson,

Emma Corrin, Josh O'Connor, Stephen Boxer, Olivia Colman, Marion Bailey, and Gillian Anderson, winners of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for The Crown, speak during the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards 

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In her acceptance speech, Gillian said, "To Queenie Olivia, you have won every award under the sun, and to Emma, you deserve this along with me for such a mature and accomplished performance," she said. 

"And to the entire Crown ensemble, who in my eyes does not get enough attention for all the depth that you bring to every episode."

The cast famously gets on well, often sharing the laughs they have behind the scenes while filming, as well as the odd game of Ibble Dibble when the camera stops rolling. Ibble Dibble is the drinking game the Queen herself is partial to a round of in The Crown.

Gillian then went on to address her ex-partner, Peter Morgan, who is the creator of the show. The couple were together for four years but split last December. They are said to still be "great friends", according to reporting from the Daily Mail.

"And last, but never least, Peter Morgan for creating so many multidimensional roles for all us actors to sink our teeth into and win awards for," she said. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

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Gillian has spoken before about the complications of being in a relationship with a colleague, discussing the boundaries she and Peter had in place. 

The star revealed to Harper's Bazaar, “For our own sanity, and actually, for the benefit of the relationship, we had very clear boundaries.

“I am not going to comment on the script, but you are not allowed to comment on the performance!”

This is Gillian's third SAG Awards win and it was celebrations all round for The Crown cast, who also won for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.

Lauren Hughes

Lauren is the former Deputy Digital Editor at woman&home and became a journalist mainly because she enjoys being nosy. With a background in features journalism, Lauren worked on the woman&home brand for four years before going freelance. Before woman&home Lauren worked across a variety of women's lifestyle titles, including GoodTo, Woman's Own, and Woman magazine.