Olympic diver Tom Daley has revealed he is in a relationship with a man.
Perhaps not the most surprising news but one that we here at Bent respect from a young guy who has always won our hearts and affection.
The 19-year-old released a video on YouTube, saying that “everything feels great… I couldn’t be happier.”
Daley won a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games. He has also appeared as a presenter on the hit ITV series Splash.
In the video, Daley says: “I’ve only ever talked about things I’m comfortable talking about. I didn’t like talking about the bullying at school. I didn’t like talking about my dad (who died in 2011) as, at the time, it was a sensitive subject. In an ideal I wouldn’t be doing this video because it shouldn’t matter. But, recently I was misquoted in an interview and it made me feel really angry. Honesty is important to me and I’ve always been honest, I may have been vague in some of my answers but I’ve always been honest.”
He went on to say: “It did take me by surprise a little bit. It was always in my head that something like that could happen. But it wasn’t until spring this year that things just clicked. It felt right and I thought ‘OK’… and my whole world changed there and then.”
He added: “Of course I still fancy girls but right now I’m dating a guy. People are going to make a big deal of this. But is it a big deal? I don’t think so. My dad always said to me, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy. And right now, I couldn’t be happier.”
In response to the video, Edward Lord, chairman of the Amateur Swimming Association, tweeted: “We must support @TomDaley1994 in his decision to come out. He is very brave and as ASA Chairman I am proud of him.”
Hundreds of positive comments have already been posted on Daley’s YouTube page.
“So proud of you and so happy that he is making you so happy which you deserve!” said one.
“I have always been proud of you and now I think we are all even more proud of you,” said another.