Sophia Bush has thanked fans for their kindness after she came out as queer.

The 'Chicago PD' actress confirmed her sexuality and her relationship with soccer star Ashlyn Harris in a recent essay for Glamour magazine and later took to Instagram to thank fans for their support.

She posted on Instagram: "Ever-evolving + still weird. Thank you for the kindness, vulnerability, and the stories and journeys of your own so many of you have shared. Courage is contagious. Here’s to a life in progress.”

And Harris commented on her girlfriend's post, writing: "You're perfect."

In her personal essay, Sophia, 41, revealed her relationship with Ashlyn took her by surprise and insisted it began after she split from ex-husband Grant Hughes.

She said: "I didn’t expect to find love in this support system. I don’t know how else to say it other than: I didn’t see it until I saw it.

"It really took other people in our safe support bubble pointing out to me how we’d finish each other’s sentences or be deeply affected by the same things.

"I sort of hate the notion of having to come out in 2024. But I’m deeply aware that we are having this conversation in a year when we’re seeing the most aggressive attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community in modern history. There were more than 500 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills proposed in state legislatures in 2023, so for that reason I want to give the act of coming out the respect it deserves. I’ve experienced so much safety, respect, and love in the queer community, as an ally all of my life, that, as I came into myself, I already felt it was my home. 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."