Duncan James says new boyfriend ‘makes him proud to be gay’
The former Blue singer says his relationship with Brazilian Rodrigo Reis has finally made him 'comfortable in his own skin'.
By Will Stroude
Duncan James says he is ‘finally happy in his own skin’ after introducing his new boyfriend to the world.
The former Blue singer, 41, said his Brazilian partner Rodrigo Reis makes him “proud to be gay” after years of struggling with his sexual identity.
James, who came out publicly as bisexual in 2009 before later saying he identified as gay, went public with his new relationship on Saturday (20 July) after sharing an adorable picture of himself on Instagram.
“Cute pic alert!! Such a beautiful person inside and out. Thankyou @rodrigolopesreis for making me smile,” James wrote.
The sweet snap prompted an outpouring of love and support from fans and fellow stars – including former X Factor winner Alexandra Burke, who wrote “I can’t cope” underneath the picture followed by a series of heart-eye emojis.
The wave of support prompted Duncan to take to Twitter the next day to open up about how Rodrigo had helped him to feel confident in his identity as a gay man.
“I posted this pic on my Insta yesterday & couldn’t get over the amazing response, comments and love from people,” he wrote.
“I didn’t identify as a gay man for many years because of my own issues with coming out, but finally im happy in my skin & this guy next 2 me makes me proud 2 be gay.
I posted this pic on my Insta yesterday & couldn’t get over the amazing response, comments and love from people. I didn’t identify as a gay man for many years because of my own issues with coming out, but finally im happy in my skin & this guy next 2 me makes me proud 2 be gay.❤️ pic.twitter.com/pXOQjBknFe
— Duncan James (@MrDuncanJames) July 21, 2019
The tweet saw sparked fresh messages from supports and LGBTQ allies, including iconic Beverleys, Beverley Knight and Beverley Callard.
“Be happy my luv, always. Wonderful pic. Xxxxx” wrote Knight.
Callard added: “Looking gorgeous! As always xxxxx”