Will Young recalls being threatened in homophobic attack after helping out busker

Will Young has recounted how he was threatened in a homophobic attack after he intervened to stop a busker getting harassed by a group of "lads".

The 42-year-old said he managed to turn the situation around after the group became abusive towards him.

He spoke about the encounter during a Penguin Live conversation with Judge Robert Rinder while promoting his book To Be A Gay Man, reports The Sun.

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He said: "When I got homophobically abused in Oxford, I’d stepped in. I was probably wearing some sort of floaty number and saw this harpist.

"These three lads were going to cause trouble so I stepped in and deflected it away from him.

"Then they turned on me, 'You’re gay', started abusing me."

Watch: Will Young criticised Spencer Matthews over 'least gay' comment

The Leave Right Now hitmaker, who didn't state when the incident took place, said he "deployed a tactic" he'd "wanted to do for ages" to get them to back off.

"I shouted at the top of my voice, 'These boys are threatening me, they were threatening to stab me, they were threatening to' – in fact I won’t use the language because it might offend some people," he went on.

Young said bystanders responded and helped him, making him realise he had "got so many allies".

The Pop Idol winner recently criticised BBC show This Is My House over a comment he found homophobic and "completely offensive".

The episode of the guessing game saw four men claiming a property was theirs, with the real homeowner being a gay man. In the process of trying to find out who was telling the truth, Matthews questioned 'who is the least gay?'."

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Young shared to social media: "Asking 'who is the least gay' on This Is My House I find completely offensive. What does 'least gay' mean? Most 'masculine', least 'effeminate'?

"For f***s sake BBC don't you realise it is completely reaffirming offensive and shaming stereotypes? I'm gay, take it up the b** and like football and cars. Might blow your mind... Spencer Matthews."

He later said Matthews had reached out to respond in a "very understanding way".

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