After years of denying rumours, Australian swimming superstar Ian Thorpe has now confirmed that he is gay. In an interview with British talk host Michael Parkinson about to be screened on Australian TV, five-times Olympic gold medalist Thorpe, 31, says he is gay but has dated women in the past. He addressed speculation about his sexuality in his 2012 autobiography This Is Me, saying "The thing that I find hurtful about it is that people are questioning my integrity and what I say. That's the only part I find hurtful, that this is something I would be embarrassed about and that I would hide. ... I try to explain it but I don't know either, but I think it's because I don't fit into the typical stereotype of what a straight athlete would be in the past." Other high-profile Aussie sports start to have come out in the past include Olympic swimmer Dawn Fraser and rugby league hardman Ian Roberts.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 14th July 2014 - 8:07am