Gay ian thorpe

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You can grow up, you can be comfortable and you can be gay.'

The five-time Olympic gold medalist came out as gay during an interview with respected English television presenter Sir Michael Parkinson in July 2014.

The athlete later revealed during an episode of This Is Your Life in 2022 that he decided to speak out about his sexuality because he was finally 'comfortable'.

The Olympian who came out in 2014, revealed to The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday that he kept his sexuality hidden because he didn't want any 'distractions' from his sporting career in the early 2000s.

Ian leads quite a private life for a public figure and has not posted any photos of a potential new partner on Instagram, nor has he confirmed any details of a new romance.

The most recent update on Ian’s relationship was given to the Sydney Morning Herald in August 2023.

“I have always been a relationships kind of guy.

The now-openly gay star endured speculation about his sexuality for years, before officially coming out during a TV interview with UK talk show host Michael Parkinson in 2014.

After denying his homosexuality publicly for years, Ian was finally able to be at peace with his identity as a gay man.

“I’m comfortable saying I’m a gay man.

I had just come out to my family and to my very very closest friends,' Ian told host Melissa Doyle.

'I had spent some time with [Sir Michael Parkinson] before the interview and told him, "You should ask me if I'm gay because I'm going to tell you I am".'

Ian continued: 'I needed to say it. I'm not straight.

You can grow up, you can be comfortable and you can be gay,” he said, hinting at his own struggles.

“I am telling the world that I am gay … and I hope this makes it easier for others now, and even if you’ve held it in for years, it feels easier to get it out.”

Who is Ian Thorpe’s boyfriend?

If I find the right person, I do plan to settle down and would consider starting a family,” he told the publication. told the The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday that he kept his sexuality hidden because he didn't want any 'distractions' from his sporting career in the early 2000s.

'I had to swim the Olympics and had to win. "I didn't want people to think that I had lied about everything."

He said his friends and family have been supportive of his decision to come out.

"I'm comfortable saying I'm a gay man," he said.

"I'm not straight and this is only something that very recently, we're talking in the past two weeks, I've been comfortable telling the closest people around me exactly that."

Channel 10

Thorpe, who is retired from professional swimming, discusses the speculation about his sexuality in at least three pages in his 2012 autobiography, This Is Me.

Thorpe says in his book that he was first asked about the issue by a journalist when he was 16 and that he questioned the relevance of the query with regard to his athletic career.

"I answered anyway.

Ian’s first major relationship after coming out was with Aussie model and entrepreneur Ryan Channing.

The pair dated from 2015 until 2019, before parting amicably.

“Yes, the rumours are true, we have parted ways. I think when it is someone that is so young, it is tragic for anyone to see them passing at that kind of age.”

Is Ian Thorpe single?

You can grow up, you can be comfortable and you can be gay."

"A part of me didn't know if Australia wanted its champion to be gay.

“My upbringing is very focused around family and I’d like to take part in that if it happens for me.”

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I am telling not only Australia—I'm telling the world that I am and I hope this makes it easier for others now."

On Sunday, Thorpe thanked his fans for their support, in a tweet.

He also received praise from Latin pop star Ricky Martin, a father of twins who declared in 2010 that he is gay, and Nets center Jason Collins, who came out publicly in 2013, becoming the first openly gay NBA player.

PHOTOS: Celebs who've come out as gay

Ian Thorpe has shared the heartbreaking reason he didn't want to come out as gay during the height of his swimming career.

The Olympian, 41, who came out in 2014.

I'm not straight. However, they were very supportive of his decision and Thorpe wished he had come out sooner.

Also in the This is Your Life episode, Thorpe recalled the frightening experiences with obsessed fans during the early days of his Olympic career. Things kind of changed and I was not ready for that and I don't think anyone in their early twenties could be," he continued.

”I had to learn from the police how to be able to drive a car to be able to get past a stalker or someone following me, legally,” he says.

“What I wanted to do was be able to train, be able to race and the other things that come along with it, I wasn't prepared for that.”

READ MORE: Tom Daley “left furious” after transgender swimmers banned from elite female competitionsREAD MORE: Swimmer claims she was drugged at World Championships after waking up with concussion

Ian Thorpe Comes Out as Gay: Australian Olympic Swimming Champion Says in TV Interview, "I'm Not Straight"

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Australian swimming champion Ian Thorpe, a 5-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the coutnry's most celebrated Olympians, has revealed he is gay following years of media speculation about his sexuality and after previously stating in his autobiography that he was "attracted to women."

The 31-year-old, whose nickname is The Thorpedo, made his comments in a sit-down with veteran UK talk show host Michael Parkinson (pictured with him, below) in an interview that is airing on Australia's Network Ten channel on Sunday, July 13.

"You've always said that you're not gay.

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.'

The Sydney native was first asked about his sexuality at 16 years old and said he didn't know at that stage but 'was still gay at the end of the day.'

'Yes, I lied about it.

gay ian thorpe

"I'm attracted to women, I love children and aspire to have a family one day."

He also added, "I'm not so naïve to say that I can't see the aesthetics in a good-looking man.

Australian Olympic icon Ian Thorpe reveals what prompted him to come out as gay in 2014

Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe explained on the Australian show This is your Life, why he decided to come as gay during an interview with Sir Michael Parkinson back in 2014

Champion swimmer Ian Thorpe explained his reasons behind coming out as gay back in 2014.

It has all been very amicable.