"We were kids until we became lovers": Tam O'Shaughnessy opens up about her relationship with the late Sally Ride

The world premiere of the Sally documentary saw a different side of Sally Ride's life, where Tam O'Shaughnessy talks about the couple's love life. Sally Ride was an American astronaut and physicist. She became one of the first American women and the third woman to fly in space. The documentary was directed and produced by Cristina Costantini. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2025, and was broadcast on National Geographic on June 16, 2025.

Tam O'Shaughnessy is a children's science writer, an associate professor, and a former tennis player. Sally Ride and Tam O'Shaughnessy kept their love life under wraps throughout Ride's life. O'Shaughnessy revealed that this changed right before the astronaut passed away in 2012. According to PEOPLE, the former tennis player told them:

"Ten days before she died, I asked her how I should be to the public... I was holding sort of a public celebration of her life, and then a national tribute at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. And it was like, 'So who am I?' Our friends and family knew, and people guessed. It didn't feel honest... She told me, you decide what you want to say, how open you want to be about our relationship."

After receiving the push she needed from her partner, Tam tells all in the 2025 documentary. She revealed that before they got romantically involved, they were friends first. According to O'Shaughnessy:

"We had a wonderful relationship from the time we were kids until we became lovers... I think it's something to be proud of."

More details shared by Tam O'Shaughnessy on her relationship with Sally Ride

Tam O'Shaughnessy revealed that her relationship with Sally Ride started as a friendship. They only became romantically involved in 1985. She admitted that she wants to share the details so people can fully understand the relationship she shared with Ride, as well as understand the astronaut "as who she really was."

Furthermore, since Sally Ride was extremely private, there is not much physical evidence, such as photos and videos of the two lovers. The majority of the recreations in Sally were:

"all inspired directly from Tam’s memory."

However, filming some parts of the documentary was painful for Tam. She explained that there were a few times:

"where I sort of break down."

She continued:

"When I was describing my relationship with Sally, and especially when Sally got sick, I got teary-eyed, and it just got me all the way through to my heart and guts... And that was a little bit of a surprise."

Sally premiered on National Geographic (Nat Geo) on June 16, 2025. If you missed it, it will be released on Disney+ and will be available to stream from June 17, 2025, onwards.

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