Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe revealed in an interview that he is gay, confirming years of speculation about his sexuality.
Thorpe sat down for an interview with British broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson, which aired on Sunday night in Australia on Channel Ten. Thorpe discussed a wide range of issues, including his battle with depression.
[seealso slug=http://sale-online.click/2014/06/29/nyc-pride-march-vine-videos/%5D%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EParkinson asked Thorpe, "You've always said that you're not gay. Is all of that true?"
Thorpe responded, "I've thought about this for a long time. I am not straight."
He said the reason it had taken him until now to be "comfortable saying I am a gay man" is due to the pressure he felt at an early age from the Australian media. He had been questioned about his sexuality at just 16 years old.
"It was inappropriate to be asking a child such questions," he told Parkinson. "It is also not appropriate for that question to be asked of anyone."
"I've held this as such a weight. There is so much pain in this. I had anger around this. I felt like I shouldn't have been asked about it. If I wasn't asked, I feel I would have been much younger when I came out and have been comfortable like this," he said.
"The lie had become so big that I didn't want people to question my integrity. I didn't want people to question if I had lied about everything."
In a sad revelation, he said he also kept his sexuality a secret for fear Australia "didn't want their champion to be gay".
He decided to open up in the hope it would help others be true to themselves.
"I don't want young people to feel the same way I did. You can grow up, you can be comfortable and you can be gay," Thorpe said frankly.
"I am a little ashamed I didn't come out earlier. That I didn't have the strength or courage to do it. I don't want that struggle to be so hard for others".
So happy & proud for @IanThorpe Coming Out in his own time on his own terms. Wish you all things good darling boy. It's fun & free Out here!— Magda Szubanski (@MagdaSzubanski) July 12, 2014
You've given so generously to the nation again tonight @ianthorpe This will help countless kids. In awe of your grace and openness. #thorpe— Jenny Brockie (@JenBrockie) July 13, 2014
In all seriousness, Ian Thorpe coming out might actually be the biggest breakthrough for gay acceptance Australia has ever seen. #IanThorpe— Joe Hildebrand (@Joe_Hildebrand) July 13, 2014
Nicknamed the "Thorpedo" for his speed in the water, Thorpe won a total of five gold medals in Olympic competition, becoming one of Australia's most visible athletes.
He retired twice, in 2006 and again in 2012, but has had a rocky time recently. Thorpe's autobiography, This is Me, was published in August 2013, and detailed his struggles with alcohol and depression. In the book, Thrope denied he was gay.
"I am not gay and all my sexual experiences have been straight," he wrote, according to The Independent. "The thing that I find hurtful about it is that people are questioning my integrity and what I say. That's the only part I find hurtful, that this is something I would be embarrassed about and that I would hide ... I try to explain it but I don't know either, but I think it's because I don't fit into the typical stereotype of what a straight athlete would be in the past."
Thorpe was admitted to rehab in February for his depression, according to CNN.