Shameless star reveals ‘bizarre’ effect nude scenes had on her dating life

| Metro columnist Published September 26, 2026 1:45pm Updated September 26, 2026 1:46pm Emmy Rossum genuinely gets confused for Fiona Gallagher (Picture: Inc/Everett/Shutterstock) Shameless star Emmy Rossum has revealed that playing Fiona Gallagher made her dating life hell. The Furious actor starred in the US adaptation of the hit Channel 4 drama for nine series where she was regularly having to strip off. In turn, people genuinely conflated her character with the real person playing it which is absolutely wild. ‘It got quite tricky because of the nudity on the show,’ she told Maria Sharapova on the Sept. 16 episode of Pretty Tough. ‘All of the guys that I would go out with had preconceived notions of who I was or how I was sexually.’ Rossum said it got so ‘bizarre’ that she went on one date with a man with political aspirations who was was worried how her Shameless role would look for him. ROssum revealed one date was worried she’d runi his political asperations (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock) ‘He was like, “I really want to be president someday,”’ she said. ‘And I was like, “Wow, that’s like a great goal,’” she told him. ‘He’s like, “But I feel like running for office dating someone who’s been like exposed in the way that you have, do you think that would be tricky for me?” And I was like, “This is an insane conversation to have.”’ Thankfully, Rossum’s romantic life is much healthier now. She’s been married to Mr Robot creator Sam Esmail since 2017 with whom she shares two children. ‘We so like-minded,’ she continued. ‘We’re so family first. We’re so work second. But also when one person has to work, the other person takes over the family. Emmy is currently starring in the ‘most outstanding’ show of the year, Furious (Picture: Disney) ‘When I’m working or on tour or making a movie, he’s there for drop-off and pickup.’ Rossum is arguably at one of the most exciting points of her career, starring in the Disney Plus thriller Furious which has widely been hailed as the ‘most outstanding show of the year’. In it, she plays Alice Black, an FBI agent who’s hunting down a female serial killer and who has also suffered violence in her past. Speaking to Metro recently about the role, she said: ‘’I was looking for a character that was as rich and dynamic as the one that I played on Shameless for so long.’ Finally, five years after Shameless ended, she found it in Furious. Hopefully, no one expects her to be an actual FBI agent though this time. Deals of the Day I tried L'Oréal Paris's new PDRN serum and my skin looked glossier after one use This new Cricut gadget turns your favourite photos into stickers in minutes From kitchen hatches to burgundy walls – the biggest home trends for 2027 Oodie’s cosy blanket sale has arrived just in time for Christmas shopping Save over £700 on Simba's top-rated mattresses in this limited-time sale Furious is available to stream on Disney Plus in the UK. TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.