Colin Jackson, 50, comes out as gay on Swedish TV and reveals how his parents reacted
BBC presenter Colin Jackson has come out as gay, after first telling his parents 11 years ago.
Colin Jackson discusses his sexuality in 2017
Colin Jackson has come out as gay
The former Olympic hurdler spoke candidly about his sexuality during an interview with a Swedish television show.
The 50-year-old admitted that he’d kept it a secret from fans because he didn’t want the story to become “sensationalised”.
Speaking on SVT series Rainbow Heroes, Colin opened up about how his mother and father reacted when he told them back in 2006.
When questioned why today was the right time, the ex-sportsman told reporter Anna Blomqvist: “Because you asked! There's no better reason.
Colin Jackson spoke about his sexuality on SVT's Rainbow Heroes
Colin Jackson back in his hurdling days
The way you asked me, it was a whole storytelling kind of thing
“The way you asked me, it was a whole storytelling kind of thing and you were just interested in the way it affected me sports-wise, emotionally-wise and my preparation.”
Addressing coming out to his loved ones, Colin referenced a kiss-and-tell story that was sold to the tabloids.
The star went on: “I was waiting for them in the kitchen. They walked in and they sat down. My mother could see my face and I was quite distraught. It didn’t phase them at all.
Colin Jackson said his parents couldn't have reacted better
Colin Jackson on the podium in the early 1990s
“My mum went: ‘First of all, is the story true?’ And I said it’s true, so it’s not like I can deny it. And then she went: ‘Well, why are people so disgraceful?’ I just realised, I’ve got the best parents."
It comes after Colin told The Voice nine years ago that there was no longer a stigma against gay athletes.
He said at the time: “It's the 21st century. I don't think anybody thinks about that anymore. There might have been a stigma in years gone by."