Race Across the World winner Alfie Watts opens up about ‘suppressing’ his sexuality after coming out
Watts said growing up around football didn't help him come to terms with his sexuality
By Aaron Sugg
Alfie Watts, winner of series four of Race Across the World, has opened up about “suppressing” his sexuality after coming out as bisexual earlier this week.
Watts came out on Tuesday (6 October) via Instagram, admitting he was terrified to speak publicly about his sexuality but eventually plucked up the courage to come out online.
Watts wrote: “I’m bisexual and this is the first time I’ve ever said it online, so you probably didn’t know – surprise!!”
“I wanted to pretend it wasn’t there” – Alfie Watts opens up about suppressing his sexuality
Yesterday (8 October), Watts gave an update, opening up about the reception that has followed.
“Not a single bad word has been said,” said Watts. “The reality is, though, whilst this has only been in the public eye for a couple of days, this has been something that’s always existed.”
Aged 22, Watts said he had been suppressing his sexuality for two decades. “I wanted to pretend it wasn’t there, thought if I distracted myself, then it would change the reality,” he explained.
Watts said growing up around football didn’t help him come to terms with his sexuality
“I didn’t want to believe that, on top of everything else that I had to deal with as a kid, if I’d got through those battles and I succeeded, this was what waited for me on the other side. Another difference. So I hid it.”
Watts said growing up around football culture probably “didn’t help”. “There will be a time and a place to tell my story in fall, but that’s not today,” he added.
He thanked fans for the warm response after an “overwhelming couple of days”. “The reaction to the post, which I must admit, I wanted to be a little bit more subtle than it ended up being, was magnificent.”
“A huge thank you to everyone that commented, supported, liked, and everything, everything else,” he said.
Watts won Race Across the World in 2024 alongside his friend Owen Wood, becoming the youngest winner of the BBC One show.