Rebel Wilson Lost Her Virginity at 35 — and Wants to Take the ‘Pressure’ Off Other Late-Bloomers by Sharing Her Story (Exclusive)

Wilson, who writes candidly about her sexuality in her new memoir, 'Rebel Rising,' believes her journey would have been "very different" if she was 20 years younger

Rebel Wilson reveals that she lost her virginity at age 35 and hopes that sharing her personal story will send a "positive message" to others.

The Australian-born actress, 44, tells PEOPLE that she included the revelation in her upcoming memoir Rebel Rising, out April 2, to reassure young people that "not everybody has to lose their virginity as a teenager."

"People can wait till they're ready or wait till they're a bit more mature," says Wilson. "And I think that could be a positive message. You obviously don't have to wait until you're in your thirties like me, but you shouldn't feel pressure as a young person," says Willson.

The Pitch Perfect alum recalls avoiding the topic as much as possible as a teenager due to being "embarrassed."

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"There was one vague time, I think I told my best friend, 'Oh, yeah, I just did it to just get it over with when I was like 23,'" Wilson recounts. "Just to really avoid the questions."

She tried to sidestep the subject when it came up or deflected however she could.

"Normally I would just leave the room when the conversation was happening," she continues. "And then the people that said, 'Oh, at 24, it's so late.' And then I'm sitting here thinking, 'Oh my god, my number's 35. What the hell? I'm going to look like the biggest loser.'"

Although she calls herself a "late bloomer," Wilson believes that, if she was 20 years younger, her experience and exploration of her sexuality would have been "very different."

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"It's absolutely incredible, if I had been born 20 years later, I probably would've explored my sexuality more. I just knew I was attracted to men, and that was the normal thing," recalls Wilson.

"And so when I started opening myself up probably more after my father's death and realizing, oh, even though I'd seen marriage as a terrible thing and waste of time, I started opening myself up to that," she adds. "And then only years later, meeting women and having feelings for a woman, and that, I just think it's a sign of where society kind of was."

Now engaged to designer Ramona Agruma, Wilson welcomed her first child, Royce Lillian, via surrogate in November 2022.

For more on Rebel Wilson, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

Rebel Rising is out April 2 from Simon & Schuster and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

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