The former athlete Kelly Holmes, in an interview in The Sunday Mirror broke the silence and after more than 30 years she was encouraged to talk about her sexual condition and the horrible moments she had to live for not being able to say: “I’m gay“. The double Olympic champion in Athens 2004 admitted to having lived a secret life for decades:
“There were a lot of dark moments where I wished I could scream that I was gay, but I couldn’t“.
At the age of 17, she discovered her sexual orientation and since then she has sought all kinds of resources to hide the truth from her.
“While I was in the Royal Women’s Army Corps, a fellow soldier kissed me. Then I realized that I had to be gay, because I felt good, comfortable“.
Holmes explained that the stigma that existed in those years about homosexuality meant that she did not speak publicly about her sexual orientation and as her popularity grew due to her sporting achievements, her situation became more complex to handle.
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“I wanted to show my true self. Sometimes I cry with relief. Now that this is out, I’m essentially getting rid of that fear“.
“I’ve been convinced my whole life that if I admitted to being gay in the military I’d be in trouble“.
After she left the interview, Holmes made a post on Instagram in which she put the link to that talk and in which she wrote:
“I can finally breathe. Yeah I’ve been petrified to post this, you have no idea how scared I was. Please share, tell everyone because it sure opens your eyes (…) I lived in fear for 34 years and I’m exhausted and I don’t want to do it anymore“.
“I needed to do this now, for me. It was my decision. I’m nervous to say it. I feel like I’m going to explode with excitement. I am finally free”, she concludes.