British Olympic silver medallist and BBC pundit Colin Jackson comes out as gay
He spoke about his sexuality for the first time in a Swedish television documentary
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Olympic silver medallist and BBC athletics pundit Colin Jackson has come out as gay.
In an interview in a Swedish documentary called Rainbow Heroes, he spoke openly about his sexuality for the first time, having previously denied reports he was gay.
The Welsh 110m hurdler was speaking to Swedish LGBT former athletes, high-jumper Kajsa Bergqvist and long-jumper Peter Häggström, and said that the reason he hadn’t revealed his sexuality in the past was because he didn’t want it “sensationalised”.
He also revealed the moment he told his parents in 2006 after a former partner sold his story to the tabloid press.
“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,” he told presenter Anna Blomqvist. “It didn’t faze them at all.
“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.”
Jackson also spoke about the stigma around gay athletes on The Voice in 2008. He said: “It's the 21st century. I don't think anybody thinks about that any more. There might have been a stigma in years gone by.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments