Zoe Ball’s son speaks candidly about bisexuality on The Circle
Woody Cook said being bisexual was more accepted these days (w00dy_c00k/instagram)
Woody Cook, son of BBC Radio 2 host Zoe Ball, candidly spoke about being bisexual on reality show The Circle.
The 18-year-old felt comfortable enough to chat about his identity with fellow contestant Georgina in a late-night heart-to-heart.
The Channel 4 game show features a group of contestants living in isolation in an apartment complex, who never meet in person.
They only interact through an online messaging system, ‘The Circle’, and can choose to be themselves or make up a new identity.
Each week the contestants rate each other, competing for popularity and £100,000 in cash, and the people with the lowest ratings risk being eliminated.
Woody Cook knew he was bisexual aged 15.
After being voted bottom of all players, Georgina hit up Cook in an effort to cheer him up.
Cook, feeling down, spoke plainly about his sexuality to her.
When she asked if he had his eye on anyone in the game, he said: “Being bisexual on The Circle, I thought I was going to have loads of chat. But in actuality, I think being 18 scared everyone away.”
As the camera jumped back to Georgina, she’s noticeably shocked, and said aloud: “He didn’t have to open up the way he has, so I don’t want to make a big thing out of it because it isn’t at all.”
Woody Cook nervously came out to Georgina in a touching message. (Channel 4/The Circle)
Georgina then asked him when he knew he was bisexual.
“It’s a funny story really,” he wrote.
“I was at a party when I was 15, I was chatting to a girl who was gay, and I told them I was bi to impress them.
“The next day I woke up and I realised drunk Woody was telling the truth.”
Georgina then joked: “You know what they say, drunk words, sober thoughts.”
Following the exchange, Cook said: “I’m glad I sent that message because I needed to get it off my chest.”
“Woody is bi? Amazing!” The Circle viewers react.
Viewers took to Twitter to support the star:
Woody is bisexual! Aww… love that cutie. #TeamWoody #TheCircle
— Openly Geek (@Coleben9) September 30, 2019
Omg, Woody is bi?? Amazing!
💜😍💜#TheCircle— ❤️🔥 xeno 🐻 (@StatsAndHeart) September 30, 2019
Woody when he gets out from #thecircle and finds out he’s loved and has all the girls and boys like pic.twitter.com/scbwZLEJzH— ronnie (@ronnie2029) September 30, 2019
“We’ve come to a new age where sexuality is so much less of a thing.”
In the show, Cook is playing as himself but not revealing who his famous parents are. .
A fashion model, Cook came out earlier this year in an interview with Boys and Girls magazine.
He said: “I told my mum and her first reaction was: ‘You can’t be, you like girls?’ I got her to look back upon her group of friends and she started to realise she knew more bi people then she thought.
“I think it was a bigger thing in her time. Some people assume it’s an in-between before you are gay.
“But really, it’s a thing on its own. I’m sure a lot of gay and straight people who are in that generation are bi, but have never come out or never even realised it because it wasn’t really talked about.”
Woody Cook speaks out about trans rights.
Cook said that the situation was much worse for trans people.
“I think acceptance for trans people is still awful,” he said. “As much as we don’t mind sexuality anymore, I feel like we’re still really backwards around people who are trans.
“A person is been born like that, so I don’t understand why we should treat he or she any differently. I’ve got friends who are trans and I’ve heard some horrid stuff.
“It feels like there is a lot further we need to come in acceptance for trans people.”
