Hollywood star Ellen Page has discussed the impact coming out has had on her life, after the speech she made on Valentine's day this year at the Human Rights Campaign's Time To Thrive conference.

In an interview with Flare magazine, she says that although she told her parents she was gay when she was 19, it was still a while before she could feel comfortable with herself.

“You think you’re in a place where you’re all I’m thrilled to be gay, I have no issues about being gay anymore, I don’t feel shame about being gay, but you actually do.”

The Juno star also revealed the double standards in Hollywood, that prevented her from revealing her sexuality.

"You hear things like, ‘People shouldn’t know about your life because you’re creating an illusion on-screen.’ But I don’t see other actresses going to great lengths to hide their heterosexuality. That’s an unfair double standard.”

After she made her speech on Valentine's day, in which she said that she was tired of lying "by omission", she received a lot of positive feedback.

However, the following day, a pastor who approached her as she was boarding a flight to Vegas offered her a note that read: "While God thinks it’s lovely that you stood up for your beliefs, perhaps you’ve never had the loving arms of a father."

That said, the video became a viral sensation, with millions of people watching it around the world (it currently stands at over 4 million views), as well as numerous celebrities and members of the public tweeting the star their support.

And overall she's had a positive experience: “I expected so much more hate. It was just remarkably positive, which is beautiful, because it’s indicative of the change that’s happening.”

You can read the full interview here.

(Image: Getty)

Ellen Page discusses coming out