Her partner, notably, died in 2014 at the age of 58.
Losing the cinematographer after 25 years together was “more devastating than” Channing realized, she noted.
The “West Wing” alum — who left Maine and moved across the pond in 2019 — explained that her grief had “a lag effect” and “shifted … the pattern [of] her life.”
The child-free Oscar nominee quipped that it would “be great to have someone taking care” of her in his absence.
While “children were a thought” in her younger years, she pointed out that “children can be just as selfish as everybody else out there.”
Channing, best known for playing Betty Rizzo in “Grease” in 1978, clarified that she is “happy being a recluse” outside of Hollywood.
She went on to describe her morning routine, which involves staying in bed — besides feeding her dog and using the restroom — to journal.
“At my age, life is guided by bodily functions,” Channing quipped.
She detailed the meals she eats, from ramen to salad, and the non-designer outfits she wears since her brand-name pieces are “all from the Eighties and Nineties.”
In addition to reading and doing Pilates, Channing added, “Pottering is my meditation; moving things from that pile to that pile.”
Channing, notably, was married four times before her relationship with Gillham began in 1990.
She wed venture capitalist Walter Channing Jr. in 1963, followed by playwright Paul Schmidt seven years later.
Her third and fourth husbands were producer David Debin and businessman David Rawle, respectively.
Channing reflected on her exes in this weekend’s essay, writing, “They all represent epochs of me. I grew up in the Sixties, reacting to that repressed notion of marriage and sexuality from the Fifties — kinda like Rizzo.”
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Her films also “take [her] back to a particular time.”
She explained, “Different age groups recognize me from different characters. For younger girls it’s ‘Practical Magic,’ for grown-ups it’s ‘The West Wing,’ and for real grown-ups it’s ‘Grease.’”
As for her acting future, Channing isn’t sure she’ll “do anything after” directing a show in Edinburgh this year — but acknowledged, “Acting is like everything in life; you never know what’s going to happen.”