Sophia Bush breaks her silence about her relationship Ashlyn Harris‘ – came out as queer and denied cheating on her ex-husband Grant Hughes.
“When I came to myself, I already felt that it was my home. “I think I’ve always known that my sexuality existed on a spectrum,” Bush, 41, said in her self-written book shine Cover story published Thursday, April 25. “Right now I think the word that best defines it is queer. Actually, I can’t say it without smiling. And that feels pretty awesome.”
Bush said she has “experienced so much safety, respect and love in the queer community” as both an ally and a member.
“I kind of hate the idea of having to come out in 2024. But I am deeply aware that we are having this conversation in a year in which we are witnessing the most aggressive attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community in modern history,” she continued. “More than 500 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills were introduced in state legislatures in 2023, so I want to give coming out the respect and honor it deserves.”
She explained: “I finally feel like I can breathe. I don’t think I can explain how profound this is. I feel like I’ve been wearing a weighted vest for who knows how long. I didn’t realize how heavy it was until I finally just turned it off.”
Bush was married to 42-year-old Hughes just over a year ago A tree hill alum filed for divorce in August 2023. In October of that year, she began dating Harris, 38, after they grew closer during their breakup.
“I had to deal with a lot of things, what felt like countless therapy sessions and some prodding from loved ones, but I finally asked Ashlyn to put together a non-friend group to talk about it,” she wrote. “And that meal lasted four and a half hours and was truly one of the most surreal experiences of my life so far. In hindsight, maybe everything had to happen slowly and then suddenly all at once. Maybe it was all fate. Maybe it really is a version of invisible string theory.”
Bush’s shine Profile marks the first time she has spoken publicly about her relationship with the soccer star, explaining that she wished the “public part” of her journey had been on her own terms.
“As we talk about bullying and harassment and coming out without consent, however, I am very aware that I am incredibly lucky that this happened in my adulthood,” she continued. “I really love who I am, at this age and at this moment.”
There were “blatant lies,” “violent threats” and “allegations that she was a homewrecker” surrounding her divorce and subsequent romance with Harris – all of which Bush said were untrue. (Harris was previously married to Ali Warriorwith whom she shares two children, Sloane, 3, and son Ocean, 20 months.)
Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris’ friendship turned romantic after their respective divorces from Grant Hughes and Ali Krieger, and they have quietly built their relationship. A source exclusively told Us Weekly that Bush and Harris “bonded over their breakup and new beginnings” in October 2023, a month into their relationship. […]
“To those who said I left my ex because I suddenly realized I wanted to be with women – my partners have known what I was into for so long,” she wrote. “The idea that I left my marriage because of a hysterical tryst – which, to be clear, never happened – and not because it took me over a year to do the most soul-destroying work of my life? Instead of realizing that I had to be the most vulnerable I’ve ever been on a public stage, even though I was scared to my core? It feels brutal.”
Bush said the journey, which she declined to share on social media, was overall “long, thoughtful and exhausting.” She also stated that her parents fully support her and noted that things are “finally” looking right in Bush’s life.
“After the news broke, my mother told me that one of her friends called her and said, ‘Well, that can’t be true.’ I mean, your daughter is not gay,” Bush wrote. “My mother felt that it was obvious that she meant it in a judgmental way because of the way her friend emphasized the word. And do you know what my mother said? “Oh darling, I think she’s pretty gay. And she’s happy.'”