Coronation Street star Shobna Gulati has decided to disable comments on their social media after coming out as non-binary. Known for portraying Sunita Alahan on the ITV soap from 2001 to 2013, Gulati’s character married shop owner Dev Alahan, had twins Aadi and Asha, and was involved in many dramatic storylines.

During an appearance on the How To Be 60 with Kaye Adams podcast, the 58-year-old actor opened up about their identity, explaining how they recently found the words to express feelings they have always had. "I’ve become more comfortable describing myself as a person. What do people call it now? Non-binary. So, I suppose that's who I am," they shared.

"I’ve never had a word for it, but I’ve learned from the younger generation what that might look like in terms of a word because I know what it feels like being me."

In response to their revelation, Gulati updated their pronouns on social media to “she/they.” However, they also made the decision to limit comments on their posts due to the hateful messages they received after sharing their true identity.

Despite the backlash, the actor has received support from fans, with one message on their latest post reading: “Congratulations on being non-binary.”

Gulati, who has been married in the past, also mentioned they are currently in a relationship but would be open to dating men or women in the future during their discussion on the podcast.

Reflecting on their journey, Gulati said: “All my life, I never had the words for this, and I’ve never been able to explain it. I suppose my immediate family have never really thought about it. They’ve just thought: ‘Shobna is either extremely feminine or extremely masculine.’”

The actor, also known for her role in the BBC comedy Dinnerladies as Anita, shared that they first learned about non-binary identity from a colleague. "The sound person said to me they were non-binary, and I asked, ‘What is that?’ They explained, and I thought, ‘Well, I feel like that, but I never had the vocabulary.’"

Gulati was honored with an MBE last year for her contributions to the cultural industries.