In an interview in today’s Irish Independent, Ireland’s leading male model, Gary Talbot tells of finding love via Facebook, and then coming to terms with his sexuality.

The 27 year-old Ballyfermot native, who was discovered by Britain’s Next Top Model judge Tyson Beckford, said was so terrified about ‘coming out’ that he had anxiety attacks.

“I just didn’t know what was wrong with me,” he said. “I went into a panic state, I couldn’t come to terms with it. I never knew. So when the penny dropped I lost over a stone in weight in a matter of weeks, from worry.”

He also feared the loss of his career as a model.

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“I have a female following and I have a lot of straight men who follow me because they like my fitness posts,” he said. ““I always considered myself to be a bit of a manly man… I was afraid I was going to lose that and people would look at me differently and go ‘he’s not a man’ or ‘he’s not a masculine man’.

Facebook Messages

With over 60,000 Facebook followers, the model was never short of messages from people who fancied him, many of them men, but he had never considered any of the guys. Until last June, when he heard from Dublin optician, Ciaran Hewitt.

“When Ciaran contacted me I was like, ‘yeah he’s probably just like everybody else’,” he told Independent journalist, Eugene Masterson.

It was the first time Talbot ever had sexual attraction.

“I used to be surrounded by stunning people, both women and men. Even with men there was never anything that triggered in my brain.

“So that’s why when I met Ciaran, it was the first time I was ever attracted to a person and I was like ‘holy shit, it’s a man’. So it knocked me for six.”

Gary and Ciaran have now been dating a couple of months.

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“My whole life has changed,” Gary explains. “Obviously I was carrying this stress and then I came out. But nobody cared. Some were shocked, but nobody batted an eyelid.

“I think if I had known myself I probably would have come out a lot younger. I think it just made it a little bit more confusing that I was older – but just do it, because life is too short.

“You only get one shot at life and I’m glad it’s happened to me now and my life is only starting.”