Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe has announced in a TV interview that he is gay. The 31-year-old told Sir Michael Parkinson of his sexuality in a broadcast aired in Australia on Sunday
Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe
London: Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe has announced in a TV interview that he is gay. The 31-year-old told Sir Michael Parkinson of his sexuality in a broadcast aired in Australia on Sunday.
Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe
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Thorpe has long faced questions about his sexual orientation and has frequently denied being gay, saying his relationships have been with women. But speaking to Parkinson on Channel 10, he admitted the actual story is a different one.
“I’ve thought about this for a long time. I’m not straight,” he said. “And this is only something that very recently - in the past two weeks – I’ve been comfortable telling the closest people around me exactly that. I don’t want young people to feel the same way I did. I’ve wanted to for some time. I couldn’t, I didn’t feel as though I could.
“The problem was I was asked at such a young age about my sexuality. I went to an all-boys school, so if you’re accused of being gay then the first answer is no and you get ready for a fight. I didn’t know at the stage, I was too young. I carried this.
“I thought that the lie had become so big that I didn’t want people to question my integrity. A little bit of ego comes into this. I didn’t want people to question whether I’d lied about everything. Yes, I lied about it. I’m comfortable saying I’m a gay man. My parents told me that they love me and that they support me. Part of me didn’t know if Australia wanted its champion to be gay. But I’m telling the world that I am,” said Thorpe.
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