Duncan James: ‘I thought I would be gay bashed in the street after coming out’
Blue singer Duncan James says he feared coming out would lead to a violent reaction from others.
The pop star is among a host of gay celebrities who are raising awareness of the work of the Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity which supports homeless LGBT young people.
James said: “[I came out] when I was about 26-years-old after having a secret four year relationship with a guy.”
The singer feared people would harass him in the streets if he revealed his sexual orientation. He said: “I thought I would be gay bashed in the street with people shouting ‘queer’. I had all of these fears in my head that all of these horrible things were going to happen.”
Singer Gillespie Sells, 36, said coming out wasn’t too hard for him as he was raised by two women, but that he would have “no idea how [he] would have coped with it” if they hadn’t been so supportive.
Former Coronation Street actor Charlie Condou, 41, said: “If I hadn’t had those close people around me being supportive I don’t quite know what I would have done. I don’t know if I even would have come out.”
