Mirroring a theme from FX’s Pose, a show focused on LGBTQ+ and ballroom culture in the 1980s and 1990s. Angelica Ross recently claimed that she ended an 8-year relationship with an ex-fiancé who wanted her to hide her transgender identity from his friends and family. Choosing herself and realizing her self-worth, the actress-model discussed her experience of being treated as a secret and finally moving on for the better.

Page Six reported that Ross recounted the story during the ATX Television Special, saying, “He was Italian, handsome and it would have maybe worked had I chosen to be stealth, live in his shadow and protect his image of being a straight male in the world or whatever.”

Discussing her ex-fiancé refusing to show her off to the public, Ross continued, “Even with the fact that he won’t really take you home to see his family, or they honk outside the door and take him to dinner or … threaten your relationship all the time or whatever, this is the best it’s going to get. The audacity that I had to say that I deserve more and to love myself enough to leave that and bet on myself after years of having to figure it out.”

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She then detailed what it was like to keep her transgender identity secret as a young actor and the fear of being discovered as a transgender woman, which she thought would end her dream of making it big.

Saying she wasn’t always as secure as she is today, Ross stated, “I was always terrified of being found out and so in my acting classes in college … I was just so nervous. My teachers didn’t know, no one knew because for my safety on campus.”

In addition to her breakout role as Candy Ferocity on Pose, the 40-year-old actress has snagged roles on American Horror Story, Claws and other major projects, proving that being her authentic self still allowed her to achieve her dreams.