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"The Bold and the Beautiful" actress Joanna Johnson has come out of the closet.

The 50-year-old Johnson, who was first introduced to viewers as Caroline Spencer on the CBS soap in 1987 before going on to play Caroline's twin sister Karen, told  TV Guide that she is married to a female club promoter and has two adopted children.

Johnson said she was reluctant to reveal her sexuality in the past. "I was so worried I wouldn't be employable as an actress if people knew I was a lesbian," she said, "or that I wouldn't be believable in romance stories. I had to deal with a lot of self-loathing."

Johnson said she realized she was gay in her early twenties, but she didn't have celebrity role models like Ellen DeGeneres to look up to. She said, "I guess it's my turn to do my little part. It's time to live a fully authentic life."

Johnson's "Bold and the Beautiful" character is currently involved in a lesbian relationship. She took a break from the show to work on the ABC sitcom "Hope & Faith" and returned to the soap in 2009.