Inside the love life of SATC's Willie Garson: Star enjoyed blind date with Sarah Jessica Parker and kept his sexuality a secret due to controversy of playing a gay part as a straight man By Amelia Wynne For Mailonline Published: 13:06 BST, 22 September 2021 | Updated: 13:14 BST, 22 September 2021 Viewcomments Sex And The City's Willie Garson's love life has been revealed after his death aged 57, following a secret battle with pancreatic cancer. While his most famous role was playing Sandford in the show and films, who was gay, Willie was heterosexual and was once set up on a blind date with the show's main character Sarah Jessica Parker. Willie was also in a long-term relationship with a woman who did not want children and so opted to adopt his son Nathen, now 20, alone in 2009. Sad news: Sex and the City's Willie Garson's love life has been revealed after his death aged 57, following a secret battle with pancreatic cancer (pictured with Sarah Jessica Parker in 2007 who he once went on a blind date with) In an interview with Page Six last year Willie explained how fans of the show were often surprised that he was straight and how he kept it a secret 'for years' over fears it would be 'offensive to gay people'. He said: 'At the beginning, you would approach someone at a bar and realize, 'Oh, they want to be Stanford's best friend.' 'They don't necessarily want to sleep with you.' Family: Willie was also in a long-term relationship with a woman who did not want children and so opted to adopt his son Nathen, now 20, alone in 2009 (pictured in 2019) He added about his brief dalliance with Carrie Bradshaw actress Sarah: 'I've known Sarah for 15 years — we were set up once, had a very long flirtation, and then just settled into being best friends, something I think really reads on the show.' Willie - who also played the part of Mozzie in White Collar - said of keeping his sexuality a secret: 'For years I didn't talk about it because I found it to be offensive to gay people. 'People playing gay characters jumping up and down screaming that they're not gay, like that would somehow be a bad thing if they were.' Fling: While his most famous role was playing Sandford, who was gay, Willie was heterosexual and was once set up on a blind date with the show's main character Sarah (pictured together this summer) He added: 'When the question would come up during the show I would say, 'When I was on White Collar no one ever asked me if I was a conman, and when I was on NYPD Blue, nobody ever asked me if I was a murderer. 'This is what we do for a living, portray people.' Last year, Willie about his love of being a father, as he gushed: 'He's an adult and soon to be taking care of me which is really why I got him to be honest. He's lovely and a really special guy. He's wonderful and he's in college in Ohio... Revelations: He said of his brief dalliance with Carrie Bradshaw actress Sarah: 'I've known Sarah for 15 years — we were set up once, had a very long flirtation, and then just settled into being best friends, something I think really reads on the show' (pictured in 2008) 'I had a long relationship off and on for like 20 years, and she never wanted to have a child, which is fine. And it was like my mid-life crisis. Like, I really wanted a child more than anything else. And I got one and we're partners, my kid and I.' His character Stanford was a 'gay talent agent' and close friend of Carrie's who often struggled to overcome insecurities around dating in the big city. Along with being apart of the beloved series, Garson also appeared in the first Sex And The City feature film in 2008 and its sequel, titled Sex and the City 2, in 2010. Plot: His character Stanford was a 'gay talent agent' and close friend of Carrie's who often struggled to overcome insecurities around dating in the big city (pictured with on-screen husband Mario Cantone in 2010) Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility