Dame Kelly Holmes comes out as gay after 34 years: 'I'm finally free'

ok.co.uk:

Dame Kelly Holmes has publicly come out as gay in a new interview.The Olympic runner, 52, said that she “finally feels free” after years of living a “secret” life as she spoke openly about her sexuality for the first time.The star explained that family and close friends knew about her sexuality for years, but she didn’t speak about it publicly as she feared getting in trouble for breaching rules retrospectives from her time in the Army.The athletics star admitted she was “fully aware” of rumours about her sexual orientation but is now happy to be coming out “on her own terms”. “There have been lots of dark times where I wished I could scream that I am gay – but I couldn't,” she told The Mirror.

Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter. “I needed to do this now, for me.

It was my decision. I'm nervous about saying it. I feel like I'm going to explode with excitement. Sometimes I cry with relief.The moment this comes out, I'm essentially getting rid of that fear.” Dame Kelly confirmed that she is currently in a relationship, but didn’t give any further details, admitting it's the first time she hasn’t introduced someone as a “friend or PA”.

Kelly said that she had secret relationships with other female soldiers during her ten years in the Army in the 80s and 90s – risking court martial if they got caught. “Everyone knew who was gay, but you’d never talk about it,” she said. “There was this pub that had a back dance floor and a pool table and everyone we knew was gay used to go to this place.