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Mr Cellophane Joel Grey Talks Hiding Gay Identity from Ex-Wife Jo Wilder

Last year Joel Grey (Wicked, Cabaret, Chicago, Anything Goes) revealed to the world that he was gay. The 83 year old actor managed to keep the secret from everyone except for those closest to him such as children. Now, Grey is opening up about why he felt he needed to be a father and how his ex-wife Jo Wilder was not able to see through Mr Cellophane.

Recently, Joel Grey spoke to The New York Times about how he always wanted to be a father:

“I always wanted children, to be a dad. That was as important to me as being an actor. But being an actor saved my life. I was traumatized by a lot of childhood stuff. I felt that I was bad somewhere, starting with my birth. My grandmother and my aunts would say, ‘You almost killed your mother,’ because his birth had been a difficult one.”

Grey also recently spoke to Playbill about how he truly fell in love with ex wife and the mother of his two children, Jo Wilder, and how she never knew he was gay:

“None. Know why? Because I was totally in love with her. We were living totally a heterosexual life. I made a decision what I wanted in life: a family and a career. As a small boy, I always was attracted to babies. I knew I would be a dad, never knowing anything else or that this might be difficult. It never occurred to me because it was such a powerful force in me. Today, of course, you can be gay and have babies.”

What do you think of Joel’s comments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

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