Tom Daley: Saying ‘I’ve got a boyfriend’ still feels weird
By Will Stroude
Tom Daley says he still finds it “weird” saying he has a boyfriend.
The 21-year-old Olympic diver – who came out in a YouTube video in December 2013 – says that 18 months on he is still learning to feel comfortable talking about his sexuality.
Daley has recently been announced as a patron of LGBT charity Switchboard, and a told BBC Newsbeat at a gala for the charity last night (June 25): “I feel weird to say I’ve got a boyfriend. Still saying that out loud make me think twice about saying it, like ‘Oh should I say that, should I not say that?
“As the months have gone on I’ve felt more and more comfortable saying it and give me another year and I’ll probably feel at my most comfortable but it’s still weird.”
He continued: “Saying things out loud for the first time is always the most difficult thing. It’s the first, biggest step, is saying it out loud. The first person I told was my best friend Sophie and she was just like ‘Yeah, and? What’s the big deal?’
“Instantly I felt way more comfortable. A load just off my chest. Everything seemed like it was going to be OK.”
Asked if he ever felt overwhelmed at being on of the most prominent figureheads of the LGBT community, Daley replied: “I’m still constantly learning about the LGBT+ community and I’m just being who I am. All I can do [is] encourage other people to embrace who they are and be proud of it.
“I was lucky enough before I came out to have friends and family that were so supportive and I could speak to, but lots of people aren’t so lucky to have that support system around them.”
I'm helping @switchboardLGBT by sharing my #SwitchboardSelfie. Show your support too at http://t.co/wOOXI1FaMT 🙂 pic.twitter.com/mAig9XkPM9
— Tom Daley (@TomDaley1994) June 1, 2015
As part of his work with the charity, Daley is currently auctioning off a pair of his coveted swimming trunks – click here to find out more.
Tom was busy winning a bronze medal in the men’s 10m platform final at the Diving World Series in Mexico last month – and naturally, we took an in-depth, in-picture look at some of the event’s highlights.
Even better, we recently celebrated the current Attitude HOT 100 champ’s 21st birthday with 21 of his hottest ever moments – click here to take a look.
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