As The Outmost reported last week, Sir Michael Parkinson asked swimming champion Ian Thorpe whether he is gay in an interview for Australia’s Channel Ten – resulting in a surprising U-turn from the athlete, who wrote in his autobiography, “I am not gay and all my sexual experiences have been straight”.

The 31 year-old  opened up to the legendary chat show host saying, “I’m not straight. And this is only something that very recently, we’re talking in the past two weeks, I’ve been comfortable telling the closest people around me”.

The Sydney native has been questioned about his sexuality since he became a World Champion swimmer in the late ‘90s, though he has always been adamant that he is straight. Thorpe explained that despite wanting to be honest, he didn’t feel he was able, “What happened was I felt the lie had become so big that I didn’t want people to question my integrity, and a little bit of ego comes into this. I didn’t want people to question that…have I lied about everything?”

Thorpe enjoyed major success during his career as a swimmer, breaking 22 world records and winning five Olympic gold medals, retiring in 2007 before making an unsuccessful comeback in 2011, when he failed to make the Australian team for the London 2012 Olympics.

The swimmer, nicknamed ‘The Thorpedo’, added, “I don’t want young people to feel the same way that I did. I’m pleased to say that in telling my family and friends, especially my parents, they told me that they love me and they support me. And for young people out there, know that that’s usually what the answer is”.