Yahoo News Duncan James says Blue bandmate helped him come out
Hollyoaks' Duncan James has opened up about the key role that a Blue bandmate had in helping him come out to his family.
James first spoke openly about his sexuality a few years ago, but this period in his life was preceded by years of keeping his sexual orientation intensely private even from his own mother.
In this week's OK! Magazine, Duncan reveals that it was actually his Blue bandmate Simon Webbe who helped him speak openly with his mum on the subject for the very first time.
'When I told Simon [Webbe], he encouraged me to speak to my mum, who was in LA with me in a hotel at the time," he remembered. "I raided my mini bar, drank a load of drinks, then knocked on her door.
"I was sobbing and I sat her down and said: 'Remember my friend Pete? I've been in love with him. He's been my secret boyfriend.' She said: 'You're gay? I thought you were going to say you had cancer!'"
Since that time, Duncan has credited coming out publicly as one of the most important, and ultimately rewarding, decisions he's ever made.
"After years of carrying this secret inside me, I wanted to be who I am," he recently said on Loose Women. "I wanted acceptance. I carried this burden on my shoulders for so many years.
"I was worried about what the fans would think, I was worried about family and friends, and I was living a lie really. It was the best thing I ever did.
"I did a story in a newspaper about coming out and it was one of the best things that could have happened."
Read the full story in this week's OK! Magazine - out today (Tuesday, October 17).
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