It was in the early 1960s while viewing a Kokoschka exhibition at the Tate gallery when Gielgud spotted Martin Hensler and became friends with him. They kept in touch afterwards, and after six years Martin Hensler moved in with Gielgud. Hensler was his companion for 40 years until he died in 1999. In their later years they lived quietly together in their country house, South Pavilion, at Wotton Underwood, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. After his arrest in 1953 for importuning, Gielgud did not talk about the matter again, and despite the press coverage, after a number of the years most of the general public would not have known that he was gay. In fact, after instigation by Martin Hensler, and approval by Gielgud, Sheridan Morley wrote in the 1988 programme note for Best of Friends that they had lived together happily for many years. It was not picked up by the press.