Ashlyn Harris says she’s ‘so proud’ of girlfriend Sophia Bush after actor came out as queer

One Tree Hill star first confirmed her relationship with former soccer player in a new essay for ‘Glamour’

Ashlyn Harris has praised girlfriend Sophia Bush after the actor came out as queer.

The 38-year-old former soccer star took to her Instagram Stories on Friday to share a photo of Bush’s Glamour story, in which the One Tree Hill star opened up about her sexuality and officially confirmed she was dating Harris.

In the caption of her Instagram Story, Harris applauded her partner’s piece for Glamour, writing: “Proud of you babe.”

For Glamour’s April cover story, which came out on 25 April, Bush spoke about her relationship with Harris for the first time. In August, the actor officially filed for divorce from husband Grant Hughes, while the following month the soccer player filed for divorce from Ali Krieger, with whom she shares two adopted children. After announcing their splits, news outlets reported in October that Harris and Bush were seeing each other.

The Chicago P.D. alum specified that after her divorce, she turned to a group of women for support, including her now-girlfriend. She also confessed that she “didn’t expect” to find love within that group, noting that she “didn’t see it until [she] saw it”.

(@ashlynharris24 / Instagram)

The actress then explained how much time and effort went into accepting her feelings and eventually starting a relationship with Harris. However, she acknowledged that when the romance began, inaccurate rumours started pouring in, including claims that she and Harris started dating while still with their respective spouses.

“A lot of effort was made to be graceful with other people’s processing, their time and obligations, and their feelings. What felt like seconds after I started to see what was in front of me, the online rumour mill began to spit in the ugliest ways,” Bush clarified to Glamour. “There were blatant lies. Violent threats. There were the accusations of being a home-wrecker. The ones who said I’d left my ex because I suddenly realised I wanted to be with women — my partners have known what I’m into for as long as I have (so that’s not it, y’all, sorry!).”

Following reports in October that Bush and Harris were dating, Harris didn’t hesitate to hit back at the allegations that she cheated on Kriger. In a post shared to her Instagram in November, Harris not only shut down the cheating rumours, but she also revealed how the constant “online hate” has negatively impacted her mental health.

“Several weeks ago, a process that had been ongoing privately for some time became public,” she wrote. “Ending a relationship after almost 13 years of friendship, teammate-ship, marriage and co-parenting (many of them good years) is a decision that was not made lightly.”

The former goalkeeper specified that while the “false narratives” surrounding her marriage may be “juicier or make a better headline”, the rumours that she cheated on Krieger were “simply not true”.

“Let me be clear: I did not step out on my marriage. I was always faithful in my marriage, if not always totally happy. Like in many partnerships, there was work and therapy and processing done. None of this happened on a whim,” Harris explained at the time.

In her cover story for Glamour, Bush opened up about her sexuality and revealed she now identifies as queer.  ​​“I sort of hate the notion of having to come out in 2024,” she wrote. “I think I’ve always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum. Right now I think the word that best defines it is queer. I can’t say it without smiling, actually. And that feels pretty great.”

The John Tucker Must Die star also didn’t hesitate to gush over some of the qualities she loves most about Harris, writing: “I don’t believe it’s my place to discuss details of Ashlyn’s circumstances or her children, but I will say that I am absolutely in awe of her relentless integrity. The way she prioritises and centres her kids, not only in her life but in the core of her being, is breathtaking to behold.”

She continued: “Falling in love with her has sutured some of my own childhood wounds, and made me so much closer to my own mother. Seeing Ashlyn choose to not simply survive, but thrive, for her babies has been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed a friend do. And now I get to love her. How lucky am I?”