Olympian Alex Di Giorgio reflects on the lack of support he received as a gay athlete
"In the past, I may not have had the support I would have needed," said Di Giorgio
By Aaron Sugg
Olympic freestyle swimmer Alex Di Giorgio has reflected on his experiences of a lack of support during his time as a professional athlete.
Di Giorgio competed for Italy at the London 2012 Olympics and the Rio 2016 Olympics, and later publicly came out as gay on the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars.
He recently appeared at Pride House Milano during the Winter Olympics, speaking to their social media about the importance of being visible for his community.
“I may not have had the support I would have needed” – Alex Di Giorgio on support as a gay athlete
On his own experiences as a gay athlete, he said: “In the past, I may not have had the support I would have needed, but I still managed to make it.”
“When I think about what that might have represented, I’ve always tried to be myself, in my own time – the way I believe everyone should be,” Di Giorgio continued.
In 2022, he became part of the first openly gay male pairing on Italy’s version of Dancing With the Stars, finishing fourth with partner Moreno Porcu.
“Here it is more accepted” – Di Giorgio expressing his sexuality on Dancing with the Stars Italy
He has previously spoken about feeling his sexuality was unaccepted in the sporting world in an interview with The Nation View.
“The entertainment environment is different from sport. Here it is more accepted,” said Di Giorgio.
“One day I picked up the phone and found 50 messages from my friends. There were pictures of me cuddling with another guy. I felt I was sinking, betrayed. I was unmasked by the person I loved. It put me in the position of having to justify myself as if I had lied to everyone around me,” he said.
Di Giorgio is now dating Italian TV personality Tommaso Zorzi, a former winner of Italy’s Celebrity Big Brother, with the couple going public in late 2025 via Instagram.
Now 35, he works as a fitness trainer, influencer and actor, and continues to advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility in sport.
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