I wish I had come out sooner: Ellen DeGeneres

London, May 7 (PTI) Popular talk show host Ellen DeGeneres wishes she had not waited so long to embrace her sexuality in public.

The 59-year-old comedienne, who recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of her coming out on her talk show, says it was the biggest decision of her life, reported FemaleFirst.

"I wish I would have done it sooner. I wish I hadn't waited so long. I was anticipating it being a charged episode, which it was, because it was making a big decision to come out, and to be honest and to stop hiding something that I had kept secret for so long," Ellen told Matt Lauer on the 'Today' show.

She added her career had to pay the biggest price when she publicly announced that she was a lesbian, but she is proud of her decision.

"The biggest thing was that I lost my career. For three years, I couldn't work, and was not offered one thing. I was running out of money and didn't know if I was going to work again... (But) It was the greatest thing to ever happen to me," she says.