Gillian Anderson, 56, puts on an animated display as she launches her racy sexual fantasies book Want - after admitting she struggled to write her own deepest desires

Gillian Anderson cut a stylish figure in an all black outfit as she launched her new book Want at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday. Gillian Anderson cut a stylish figure in an all black outfit as she launched her new book Want at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday The X Files star donned a flowing black maxi dress with puff sleeves and a pair of towering black stilettos as she pulled a series of silly faces while strutting out on to the floor The actress laughed and joked with the audience at the book event as she took to the stage to promote her latest project - a volume of anonymous letters about sexual desires Gillian joined a collection of authors including Shahidha Bari to discuss her latest book which discuses shame around female sexuality. Despite playing a sex therapist in Netflix's Sex Education, Gillian revealed in an interview with The Guardian last month she struggled to write down her own fantasy for the book, showing that even a Hollywood star isn't immune to the pressures society places on women. Gillian joined a collection of authors including Shahidha Bari to discuss her latest book which discuses shame around female sexuality The star was visibly shocked by the positive reaction of the audience and made sure to capture the warm reception on her phone as she filmed the crowd The star admitted it felt surreal to be voted the world's sexiest woman in 1996, explaining it was in stark contrast to her daily reality Despite playing a sex therapist in Netflix's Sex Education, Gillian revealed in an interview last month she struggled to write down her own fantasy for the book Gillian dated The Crown creator Peter Morgan for four years Gillian credited her role as the unapologetic confident DS Stella Gibson in The Fall for helping her step into her own sexual power in her 40s Gillian - who dated The Crown creator Peter Morgan for four years - expressed the project aimed to unify and encourage self-acceptance among women and encourage more openness and understanding, despite the cultural taboos that still linger.