TalkRadio host Iain Lee comes out as bisexual live on air

'This is me coming out'

Olivia Petter
Thursday 04 July 2019 17:25 BST
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TalkRadio host Iain Lee comes out as bisexual live on air

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TalkRadio host Iain Lee has come out as bisexual live on air, revealing that he’d had relationships with men as a teenager and had been keeping his sexuality a secret for 30 years.

The 46-year-old broadcaster, who appeared on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2017, told listeners he had suffered from depression in his teens and that he is seeking professional help from a therapist following his divorce from BBC journalist Helena Wilkinson this year.

“I've been doing a lot of work with him trying to get through this sodding depression,” Lee said, noting that the sessions had brought up things that began when he was around 14 years old and “basically engaged in sexual acts with significantly older men”.

“And this kind of went on for quite a while,” he continued, adding that he’d always been confused about these relationships and how he now recognises certain behaviours as a form of abuse.

“I can see it for what it was,” he said, noting that his therapist help him come to an even more important conclusion.

“He’s helped me realise that I’m probably bisexual,” Lee revealed. “So I guess I’m coming out. This is me coming out, I suppose is how they would call it, at the age of 46, and I’m terrified by it.”

Later, the broadcaster expanded on what he’d said on Twitter, thanking listeners for the overwhelming support he’d received.

“I still feel embarrassed and ashamed and weird but I'm working on it,” he added, prompting thousands more supportive comments from fans.

“Never be ashamed of who you are Iain,” wrote one person. “You’ve done the hard bit”.

Another added: “Don't feel ashamed. I'm bi too and while some people I know don't support it, I've realised that they're the people who are wrong, not me.

“You are normal and you should be proud of who you are. Good people will support you, anyone who hates on you doesn't deserve your time.”

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