Anne Heche claims romance with Ellen DeGeneres got her fired from 'multimillion-dollar movie deal'

Anne Heche has opened up about her past romance with Ellen DeGeneres. Photo / Getty Images

Anne Heche has claimed she lost a multi-million dollar movie contract because of her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres.

The 51-year-old actress dated the talk show host for three years and she's admitted the first time she took her to a red carpet event on a date, she wasn't even allowed to attend the afterparty of her own movie because bosses were concerned about negative publicity.

And after defying Ellen's advice to keep their relationship under wraps, for the sake of her career, Anne experienced tough consequences to her career for the next decade.

Speaking to her dance partner Keo Mostepe on 'Dancing With the Stars', Anne – who was voted off the show on Monday – reflected: "My story is a story that created change in the world, moved the needle for equal rights forward."

"In 1997, I met Ellen DeGeneres at the Vanity Fair party and that was the night that changed my life forever.

"My movie premiere for 'Volcano', I had told them that I was taking Ellen as my date and I was told if I took Ellen I would lose my Fox contract

"At that moment, she took my hand and said, 'Do what they say,' and I said, 'No thanks.'

"I took Ellen to the premiere and I was ushered out by security before the movie even ended and was told I was not allowed to go to my own after party for fear they would get pictures of me with a woman... she was warning me, 'This is going to happen.'

"I was in a relationship with Ellen DeGeneres for three-and-a-half years and the stigma attached to that relationship was so bad that I was fired from my multi-million-dollar picture deal and I did not work in a studio picture for 10 years."

Anne and Ellen split in 2000, with the 'Donnie Brasco' actress going on to wed Coleman Laffoon later that year.

The couple – who have 18-year-old son Homer together – split in 2007, and the following year, Anne embarked on a 10-year romance with James Tupper, the father of her son Atlas, 11.

Meanwhile, Ellen met her now-wife Portia de Rossi in 2004 and they married in 2008.