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Watch: Duncan James, Sophie Ward and more explain how they came out as gay

Video: Famous faces explain how they came out to family and friends in a bid to help young LGBT people

Kiran Moodley
Wednesday 03 December 2014 08:50 EST
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Duncan James has detailed his experience of "coming out" and his fears about how his sexuality would be received by the public.

The former singer with Blue spoke about admitting to his sexuality to a wider audience as part of campaign for the Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity that provides support to young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who face homelessness after coming out to their families.

In 2009, James told the now defunct News Of The World that he was bisexual but has since identified himself as gay.

Speaking in a video for the charity, he said that he realised he was gay, "when I was about 26 years old after having a secret four-year relationship with a guy."

"It wasn't until I was 30 when the News Of The World ran a story on me, that was when the bisexual story was released to the public."

James is joined in the video by other well-known individuals such as the comedian Stephen K Amos, actors Heather Peace and Sophie Ward and singer Lucy Spraggan.

Spraggan, who first found fame with The X Factor, said she remembered how she came out to her mother.

"I remember it as walking into my mum's room and I said, 'I don't like so and so.' And she said, 'Why?”' and I just went, 'My girlfriend's prettier than her anyway,'" she explained.

Spraggan does add that her fame did get in the way of her coming out to some members of her family, stating that her grandfather found out about her sexuality by a search on Google.

Actor Sophie Ward said that while there had been much progress with regards to LGBT rights, "People forget how many young people and older people, but particularly young people find themselves alone when they come out."

The Albert Kennedy Trust provides accommodation and support for LGBT people between 16 and 25 who are homeless, at the risk of homelessness or severely at risk in their home environment just because they came out to their family.

To donate money to the Trust, visit www.akt.org.uk/winter.

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