Diane von Furstenberg’s Husband Barry Diller Addresses Questions About His Sexuality

Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg’s husband Barry Diller got candid about his sexuality after years of speculation.

Diller, 83, admitted that “there are many complex aspects of my relationship” with von Furstenberg, 78, in an essay released via New York Magazine on Tuesday, May 6.

Their relationship consists of “romantic love and deep respect, companionship and world adventuring, then disappointment and separation, and finally marriage,” he wrote. Diller and von Furstenberg met in 1974 and were together until 1981. After a decade apart, they reunited in 1981 and eventually married in 2001.

Diller and von Furstenberg “have spent 50 years intertwined with each other in a unique and complete love,” he added. (Von Furstenberg was previously married to Prince Egon von Fürstenberg from 1969 to 1983, with whom she shares two kids, Alexander, 55, and Tatiana, 54.)

“I have never questioned my sexuality’s basic authority over my life (I was only afraid of the reaction of others),” Diller wrote. “When my romance with Diane began, I never questioned that its biological imperative was as strong in its heterosexuality as its opposite had been. When it happened, my initial response was ‘Who knew?’”

Diller noted that he’s “well aware” that questions about his sexuality have “caused confusion and lots of speculation” over the years — which is why he decided to address it.

“A relationship that began with indifference, then exploded into a romance as natural to us as breathing, surprised us and everyone else,” he added. “It really is the miracle of my life.”

When Diller and von Furstenberg met, he had already made the decision to “never” discuss his personal life publicly.

“Even though as the years went on, I began to be realistic and understood that ‘everyone knows,’ I never wanted to make any declarations,” he wrote. “Of course I could have declared my sexuality, come out as some others were doing, but I was among the many at that time who were too scared to do so.”

Instead, Diller said he created a list of rules to follow.

“I wouldn’t do a single thing to make anyone believe I was living a heterosexual life,” he wrote, in part. “I wouldn’t tell, and I wouldn’t allow myself to be asked.”

However, he felt “sparks” during a dinner party with von Furstenberg, which kicked off their love story.

“Within the space of one week, it was as if a giant tectonic plate in my life had shifted,” he recalled. “From that moment on, Diane and I were together.”

Diller recalled the speculation “for years” about him and von Furstenberg being nothing more than friends.

“We weren’t just friends. We aren’t just friends. Plain and simple, it was an explosion of passion that kept up for years,” he shared. “And, yes, I also liked guys, but that was not a conflict with my love for Diane. I can’t explain it to myself or to the world.”