Grease and The West Wing star Stockard Channing has admitted that she’s becoming a “recluse” since the death of her partner in 2014.

The American actor, 82, currently lives in London, having taken on fewer screen roles in recent years. Channing is best known for playing Betty Rizzo in 1978 musical Grease as well as roles in To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, The West Wing and *Practical Magic. *

In a new interview, Channing spoke about how her life has been since the death of her cinematographer partner Daniel Gillham in 2014. The couple were in a relationship from 1990 until Gillham’s death after meeting on the set of war drama *A Time of Destiny. *

“I’ve lived alone since I lost Daniel and I’m happy being a recluse,” she told The Sunday Times, adding that she moved to London from Maine after his death.

“My partner, Daniel, died in 2014 and it was more devastating than I realised; it had a lag effect,” she said. “The pattern of my life shifted, so I shifted my life from Maine.”

Channing was married and divorced four times before her relationship with Gillham – first to sculptor Walter Channing Jr in 1963 until their divorce in 1967, and second to Slavic language professor, Paul Schmidt, from 1970 until 1976.

She married her third husband, writer-producer David Debin, in 1976, but the couple split four years later. In 1980, she wed businessman David Rawle, with their marriage lasting eight years.

Speaking about her relationship history, Channing said that her marriages “all represent epochs of me” and that she did once think about having children but decided against it.

“I think about them now because it’d be great to have someone taking care of me,” she added. “But hey, children can be just as selfish as everybody else out there.”

While Channing is currently directing the play Krapp’s Last Tape, she admitted that she’s “not sure” if she’ll take on any work after that. “Acting is like everything in life; you never know what’s going to happen,” she said.

Channing last appeared in the Paramount+ miniseries Knuckles as Wendy Whipple, the mother of witless deputy sheriff Wade (Adam Pally) in the 2024 Sonic spin-off.

She has regularly taken on theatre work, appearing at Clytemnestra in Greek tragedy Elektra at Brighton’s Theatre Royal last year. In September, she is due to reprise her Practical Magic role of Frances Owens – the witch aunt of Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) – in its forthcoming sequel.