Tom Daley: I might have come out earlier if I wasn't famous

Tom Daley

Tom Daley. Picture: Instagram

Published May 20, 2021

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Olympic diver Tom Daley thinks he might have "come out earlier" if he wasn't famous.

The Olympic diver insists he would never "regret" being famous and whilst he wouldn't have done anything differently if he was more anonymous, he might have decided to come out as gay sooner, although he does think that this way he was able to "experiment actually figure out who he is".

He said: "I don't think I'd ever regret it. It is what it is. I share what I'd like to share, and that's all of what's on my social media and things like that.

“At the end of the day, I've lived with it from such a young age, I don't feel any different for it, if that makes sense? And I don't know any different ...

"I don't think I would have done anything differently, actually.

“I always think that I might've come out earlier, but then there was also a time for me to experiment and actually figure out who I am.

“I didn't want to have to go through all of that in the public eye, so I think doing it the way I did was the best way for me to do it."

And the 26-year-old sportsman has enjoyed being at home with his family - husband Dustin Lance Black and their son Robert, two - amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to the July issue of Attitude magazine, he added: "I do a lot of mindfulness and meditation ... And I think even just this lockdown year and the coronavirus, I had to change my perspective on so many things - it makes you realise what matters most.

“At the end of the day, the Olympic Games is just a game, it's in the title of the tournament, the Olympic 'Games'.

"So, yes, they're extremely important, and they mean the world to us, but we're not saving people's lives here.

“We're not NHS doctors and nurses who are actually doing things that are life-changing.

“We are just trying to do the best that we can to be the best in the world, which is important in other ways. But I think this year has really put that into perspective - for me, anyway."

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