In an era of specialization, Hugh Sheridan remains defiantly and deliciously Renaissance. As a young man, the Australian heartthrob excelled at music, sports, and dance. Sheridan was a singer with the State Opera, he kept on his toes as both a football player and a student at the Australian Ballet School, and he earned a coveted scholarship to pursue his burgeoning acting career.
As it turns out, Hugh is equally versatile behind closed doors.
Sheridan became a household name in the television series Packed to the Rafters, but his private life was far from the straight-laced narrative that unfurled on screen for several seasons. In a recent article with Stellar magazine, Hugh confesses that he has found love across the gender divide, falling for men and women at different stages in his life.
“I believe labels are for clothes, not for people,” argues Sheridan. “In many ways, I wish I didn’t have to write this, but I feel a responsibility to others who may come after me. By sharing my story now, and becoming more transparent, maybe I can help to give others who are private a break. We might live and let them live as they wish.”
Hugh is brimming with epiphanies after enduring a struggle with COVID-19 in September. The virus forced Sheridan to confront the fleeting, fragile nature of existence, so he decided to adopt a more open attitude towards his love life.
“I realised that if I never addressed these issues,” Hugh explains, “if I maintained a silent protest, then people would always think I had something to hide or was denying others that expression.”
So now, Sheridan enjoys a transparent liberation, far from the trappings of definition, yet defined by an embrace of romantic possibilities. But don’t call it a coming-out story; instead, it is a call to action.
“Maybe this is also my way of letting people know that I’m still single,” flirts Hugh, “and everyone is on the smorgasbord.”
We can’t wait to dig in! See you on the other side of the beefy buffet, handsome.
Photo: Instagram @hugh_sheridan
Photo by: @harryhayes
Last modified: October 22, 2020
