Cate Blanchett at Cannes Film Festival: 'I've never had a sexual relationship with a woman'

In an interview with Variety magazine, Blanchett seemed to admit to a string of relationships with women

Cate Blanchett has clarified a comment she made during an interview in which she appeared to come out as bisexual (Gareth Cattermole/Getty)

Cate Blanchett has clarified a comment she made during an interview in which she appeared to come out as bisexual.

Speaking to Variety magazine, Blanchett, who is married with four children, seemed to admit to a string of relationships with women, but has since said her answer was taken out of context.

Appearing at the Cannes Film Festival, the actor said: "From memory the conversation ran: 'Have you had relationships with women?'

"And I said: 'Yes, many times. Do you mean have I had sexual relationships with women? Then the answer is no.' But that obviously didn't make it."

She added: "But in 2015, the point should be: who cares?"

However, the journalist who interviewed her has since tweeted to claim that Blanchett did in fact say she had had lesbian relationships.

Ramin Setoodeh, New York film editor for Variety, wrote: "When I asked Cate Blanchett if she'd had lesbian relationships in real life, she said: 'Many times.' She was accurately quoted."

Blanchett's latest film Carol, in which she plays a married mother who begins an affair with a shop assistant in early 1950s New York, has been met with rave reviews from Cannes critics.

In the Variety interview she said she had read "a lot of girl-on-girl books from the period" to prepare for her role.

She also spoke about the Hollywood pay gap, which became a major talking point following the Sony email leaks, and has been discussed during panels at the Cannes Film Festival.

"We have to push forward," Blanchett said. "What industry has parity pay for women? None. Why would we expect this industry to be any different?"