Adolescence star Erin Doherty’s life away from the cameras: from famous girlfriend to North London home

Erin Doherty is busier than ever. After making her mark as Princess Anne in The Crown, the actress has continued her ascent with roles in A Thousand Blows and more recently, Adolescence. 

A rising star, Erin may have scored critical acclaim and an ever-growing fanbase, but away from the cameras, she prefers to keep things low-key with her girlfriend in north London. Keep reading for all the details…

London home

While Erin hails from Crawley in West Sussex, she now resides in North London, a move which – according to The Independent – has allowed her to audition for more plays. 

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Erin is yet to give fans a glimpse inside, and shares her property with girlfriend, Sophie Melville. 

Love life 

Erin has spoken openly about her sexuality. Appearing on the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, the actress noted that it was her “mind-blowing” relationship with a woman at the age of 25, that made her realise she was gay. 

“It took me a really, really long time to finally get to the point where I was like, ‘Oh, I’m gay’,” explained Erin. 

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“I never really was ready to carve out that path for myself, even though looking back, I always knew that my relationships with men weren’t satisfying in that whole hearted way that I wanted them to be.

“I wouldn’t change it because it’s really made me adore that part and really cherish it and I just hope that I get to offer that to other women or men, whoever you are just lean into your truth because there was something so monumental about that moment of going, ‘Whoa, this is me’ and just embracing it and not applying anything else to it. I just think we all deserve that.”

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In 2017, Erin crossed paths with fellow actress, Sophie Melville, and after falling for one another, they moved in together. While the couple remains incredibly private, Erin has noted that her relationship is her proudest accomplishment and revealed that she and Sophie “don’t go up for the same roles”. 

“When a self-tape audition comes in, both of us are like, ‘Let’s drop everything and get it done,'” mused Erin. Among Sophie’s credits, she is perhaps best known for appearing in Herding Cats (2021) and The Pact (2021). 

Football career

As an immensely talented actress, it’s hard to imagine Erin doing anything else, but at one point, she was passionate about playing football.

“I was good. I got scouted to play for Chelsea,” she told The Guardian. “I was pretty intensely committed to it, and I really loved it. But on Sundays, my dad had to drive me to football matches, and then to my drama club. At a certain point he was just, like: ‘Erin, I can’t do this any more’. I had to choose. 

© Mike Marsland

“At the time, it didn’t feel very fair. But I appreciate it now. It meant that from quite a young age – I was about 13 – I was really choosing what I would do with my time. Acting wasn’t something I just fell into; I was passionate about it. I feel a bit sorry for people who don’t really know what they want to do. I’ve never experienced that. From the minute I had to make a decision, it stuck.”