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It has been announced that in an interview with Michael Parkinson to be broadcast tonight, Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe will finally come out as gay.
The Australian swimmer has won five gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal in the Olympics, plus 11 World Championship titles and 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals. Ian Thorpe: The Parkinson Interview will air in Australia today at 6.30pm on TEN, where he talks about depression, his career and his sexuality.
Thorpe, 31, spoke in 2012 to deny he was gay: ‘For the record, I am not gay and all my sexual experiences have been straight. I’m attracted to women, I love children and aspire to have a family one day.’
An interview by Michael Parkinson with the swimmer is due to be broadcast today, and it is during this interview that Thorpe comes out as gay.
‘I can totally understand how difficult this whole process has been for him,’ said Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham to the Australian Daily Telegraph.
He went on to add: ‘I really hope this process gives him some peace and that the media and the public give him the same respect and the same overwhelming support I received in 2008.
‘The Australian public and media have a really wonderful opportunity to set an example for kids who are in Ian’s position.’
Meanwhile, single gay and bisexual men everywhere celebrate.
