Ellen DeGeneres’s ex Anne Heche says she suffered greatly due to their relationship

American actor Anne Heche is looking back at her relationship with comedian Ellen DeGeneres and how she suffered greatly as a result of it.

During an episode of Dancing with the Stars, the 51-year-old detailed her past romance with the talk show host from nearly twenty years ago, to pro partner Keo Motsepe, as reported by People.

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

"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,” she recalled.

"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 before the movie even ended and was told I was not allowed to go to my own after party for fear that they would get pictures of me with a woman,” she said.

"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,” she added.

The two had dated from 1997 till 2000.