Erin Doherty has always been selective about what she shares with the public. Despite nearly a decade of acclaimed work on British television, the Adolescence breakout star has largely kept her private life just that private.
But during a recent podcast appearance, Doherty offered fans a rare, refreshingly candid glimpse into her love life, confirming what many of us already suspected: yes, she is absolutely thriving, and yes, she has fully embraced the most iconic lesbian cliché of them all.
@officialcriticschoice Erin Doherty wins the #criticschoiceaward for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries! 🏆 #CriticsChoiceAwards #adolescence #erindoherty ♬ original sound – Critics Choice Awards
From steady work to sudden stardom
Doherty has been quietly building an impressive résumé for years, with standout roles in The Crown and the long-running UK favorite Call the Midwife. Still, it was her performance in last year’s buzzy limited series Adolescence created by and starring Stephen <that pushed her into a new stratosphere of recognition.
Her turn as a forensic psychologist tasked with unraveling the disturbing actions of a young boy earned immediate critical praise, followed by an avalanche of accolades. Over the past year alone, Doherty has collected both a Critics’ Choice Award and an Emmy, cementing her status as one of Britain’s most compelling actors.
And when she accepted that Emmy in September, she made a rare personal acknowledgment, thanking her girlfriend, radiographer Sinéad Donnelly, from the stage.
“Sinéad, thank you for making me the happiest person in the world. I love you with everything I’ve got.”
Gay silence shattered. Internet melted.
@queerty Erin Doherty kisses her partner as she wins best supporting actress in a limited series, anthology series or movie for "Adolescence." #Emmys ♬ original sound – Queerty*
A relationship mostly lived off the grid
Despite that public declaration, Doherty and Donnelly have remained refreshingly low-key. Aside from a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Instagram story last fall where the two clasped hands and wished themselves back to an Italian holiday they’ve largely avoided each other’s feeds.
That changed slightly during Doherty’s recent appearance on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, where the actor opened up about her queer identity, her relationship, and a major life update: she and Donnelly now live together in North London.
Yes. The U-Haul has arrived.
Holding out… until they didn’t
When Doherty and Cotton first met back in 2024, Doherty’s life looked very different. She had recently moved out of London and was living with her sister in West Sussex. Work was steady, but the career-defining moment that Adolescence would bring was still a year away.
After living with her sister for about a year, Doherty met Donnelly in 2025. What followed was a brief long-distance phase that clarified everything.
“I’m such a romantic,” Doherty told Cotton. “I hated saying goodbye at the end of every day.”
Despite being acutely aware of the stereotype, the pull toward cohabitation proved irresistible.
“People say it’s like a cliché lesbian thing where you immediately move in we held on as long as we could, but I was like, ‘I really think I should move in now.’”
Reader, she moved in.
Living the U-Haul dream
The decision, it seems, paid off. Doherty spoke warmly and simply about her partner, describing a relationship rooted in comfort, love, and genuine happiness.
“I just love her,” she said.
No theatrics. No over-explanation. Just lesbian domestic bliss.
And honestly? After a year defined by professional highs, emotional growth, and public scrutiny, it’s deeply satisfying to see Doherty choosing softness, stability, and shared mornings at home.
We love that for her
In an industry that often rewards mystery and restraint, Doherty’s quiet confidence feels especially refreshing. She’s not performing queerness for the cameras or oversharing for relevance. She’s simply living her life award-winning career in one hand, U-Haul keys in the other.
A lesbian cliché? Maybe.
But if this is what the cliché looks like, sign us up.