Kristen Stewart Opens Up About Choosing to Come Out

After publicly announcing for the first time that she had a girlfriend this summer, Kristen Stewart has revealed why she decided to open up about her sexuality.

“It just seemed important, and topical,” she said of coming out during a recent interview with The Sunday Times.

The former Twilight star — who recently joked that she is, “like, so gay,” on Saturday Night Live — spoke about why she chose to begin sharing more details of her love life with fans. “Considering I had so many eyes on me, I suddenly realized [my private life] affects a greater number of people than just me,” she said. “It was an opportunity to surrender a bit of what was mine, to make even one other person feel good about themselves.”

Stewart also discussed why her view on media attention was different during her high-profile relationship with Robert Pattinson. “If [my sexuality] didn’t seem like a relevant topic, like something that needed help, I would have kept my life private forever. But then I can’t walk outside holding somebody’s hand, as I’m followed everywhere,” she said. “When I was dating Rob, the public was the enemy — and that is no way to live. It wasn’t this grand statement, ‘I was so confused! Now I’ve realized who I am!’ I have not been struggling.”