Tim Gunn shares the reason for his decades-long singlehood

Fashion Guru and TV Personality Tim Gunn opens up on a personal aspect of his life. The former “Project Runway” fashion mentor recently shared the reasons for his decades-long singlehood, reflecting on his experiences and beliefs behind the decision.

Tim Gunn opens up about past betrayal

In an episode of Chelsea Handler’s podcast, “Dear Chelsea,” Gunn candidly spoke about a past relationship that affected his choice to be single.

In the early 1980s, Gunn and his partner’s nine-year relationship abruptly ended. He described the relationship as “very serious”, adding that he would have done anything for the man.

He vividly remembers the night of their breakup, telling Handler that he was in bed watching the TV show “M*A*S*H*” when his partner said, “I have no patience for you anymore. I want you gone.”

According to Gunn, his partner also confessed that he had “slept with just about everything that came along,” which added to the heartbreak. “I was hyperventilating. I was beside myself with self-flagellation and self-pity, and it was horrible,” Gunn explained.

The fashion guru thought he was ‘sentenced to death’

After grieving the relationship, Gunn’s initial self-pity gave way to anger at the implications of his partner’s confession. “She was the only person I’d ever been with. And it’s the advent of AIDS. It’s 1982,” he shared.

The AIDS epidemic began in 1981, when the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported cases of infection in previously healthy individuals. Cases increased and AIDS quickly became a global health crisis, causing widespread fear and stigma. Treatment options were also limited at the time.

“I thought maybe he had given me a death sentence,” Gunn said, adding that he regularly took an HIV test every six months for a decade after the breakup. Fortunately, his results came back negative.

However, the cheating affected Gunn deeply and any thoughts of intimacy brought him back to the pain of that experience. Instead, he chose to be single, a decision he has maintained for 43 years now. At first, it was an adjustment, but now Gunn says he “wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Tim Gunn’s second chance at love

It wasn’t until 10 years after the breakup that Gunn decided to try his luck at love again, according to News week. In 1992, he met a flight attendant named Daniel. They had been dating for about a month when Gunn told his close friend about their new relationship.

His friend, however, wasn’t as excited as Gunn. He said it was a real cliché for Gunn to date a flight attendant, describing it as a “gay stereotype”. Gunn was caught between a strong friend and Daniel, and in the end, he chose his friend.

He hurt Daniel and himself in the process and began to resent his friend, ultimately ending their friendship. “It’s still something I think about very often. The irony is I ended up with no one,” Gunn said of the situation.

Tim Gunn struggled with his sexuality

Gunn, born in 1953, spoke openly about his struggles with sexuality early in his life. “I didn’t know who I was, but I certainly knew what I wasn’t. And I knew I wasn’t a heterosexual man. The idea of ​​being gay absolutely terrified me,” he said. HuffPost in 2017.

According to Gunn, growing up was difficult and he was often bullied because of his stutter. Desperation led him to ingest “a hundred pills” in an attempt to end his life at age 17.

Gunn, although initially in denial, had his first experience with a man at age 22, but did not come out to his family. He didn’t reveal his sexuality to his sister until he was 29, after breaking up with his long-term partner.

Why wasn’t Tim Gunn on season 21 of Project Runway?

Gunn graduated from Corcoran College of Art and Design and worked for Parsons School of Design as an associate dean, eventually becoming chair of the fashion design department from 2000 to 2007. In 2004, he joined “Project Runway” as a designer mentor, a tenure that lasted 14 years until season 16.

He and host Heidi Klum left the show together, and in 2025, Klum returned as host for season 21. Many fans wondered why he didn’t return, and the fashion guru responded by saying, “I wasn’t invited back to the party.”

Although disappointed at first, Gunn says everything happens for a reason. “I don’t know yet what the reason is, but it will be revealed.”