Tom Daley says he ‘always knew’ he was attracted to guys

Olympian Tom Daley has said he always knew he was always attracted to guys.

The athlete spoke in an interview with the Guardian this week, during which he also said his relationship with Dustin Lance Black is his first with a man.

He also said it was love at first sight when he met Black in 2013.

“I always knew that I had that attraction to guys, but I just thought that was a usual thing, being attracted to guys and girls. It was only when I met Lance I started having such strong feelings,” he said.

Going on, Daley said Black encouraged him to come out, saying: “He was supportive, but it never got to a point where he said, ‘You should do something about coming out.’ He was just always there, supportive. At no point was he at all pushy.”

He went on to say his mum had known for six months before he came out in 2013, and that his friends also knew. Daley noted the difference between his coming out and Black’s who came out to his Mormon family.

PinkNews earlier this month caught up with Daley about why he’d accept transgender athletes, his career plans, and his decision to sign on as a patron for LGBT+ helpline Switchboard.

Daley this week received criticism from some fans over his partnership with SeaWorld, as he stripped down to his underwear and was transformed into a shark.