Actress urges Australian politicians to accept same-sex marriages

De Rossi, who is married to American talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, has lately been campaigning in favour of gay rights. She insists she is “disappointed” in the country’s Prime Minister for failing to tackle the issue.

De Rossi was in Australia this month as part of a promotional tour for her new book Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain. She took the opportunity to address the topic of same-sex marriage during a radio interview.

The Ally McBeal star admits she thought Australia would have been one of the first countries to legalise same-sex unions and she cannot believe Prime Minister Julia Gillard has let down the public by failing to act on gay marriage.

"I always thought Australia would pass this equal rights law long before America would. I'm a little bit disappointed with the new Prime Minister. I'm hoping that Australia will be a leader on this," she said.