The former hurdling star denied that he was gay in 2006 after an airline steward told a British tabloid that he had an affair with him. In an interview with The Voice following the tabloid story, Jackson said he did not believe there was a stigma against gay athletes. “It’s the 21st century. I don’t think anybody thinks about that any more. There might have been a stigma in years gone by,” he said.

Jackson, who came second on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, said he didn’t come out because of fears of the media “sensationalising” the story.

He decided to come out on the Swedish TV programme Rainbow Heroes because of the way the show explored the emotional background to his story, reports International Business Times.

“The way you asked me, it was a whole storytelling kind of thing, and you were just interested in the way it affected me sports-wise, emotionally-wise and my preparation,” he told STV, the channel behind Rainbow Heroes.

During his athletics career, Jackson won an Olympic silver medal and won world, European and Commonwealth titles. His world record of 12.91 seconds stood for over a decade. He remains the 60m hurdles world record holder.

He became a television personality, offering commentary and analysis for the BBC athletics coverage in Olympics and most recently in the London World Championships in August.

Many other athletes have used their platform to come out.