Colin Jackson, the former Olympian and now BBC pundit, has come out as gay in a new interview.
50-years-old Colin, revealed his s*xual orientation for the first time during an interview on Swedish television.
He came out publicly in the TV interview with SVT reporters, Kajsa Bergqvist and Peter Häggström, having previously denied rumours about his s*xuality.
The two-time 110m world champion hurdler, said he previously chose not to come out because he was worried that the press might 'sensationalise' his personal life.
Colin, who appeared on series 3 of Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, revealed the news on the Swedish series Rainbow Heroes because of their careful and in-depth choice of questions.
He told Kajsa: "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."
He also revealed the moment he told his parents after a 'kiss-and-tell story' was sold 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 phase 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 told The Voice in 2008 that there was no longer a stigma against gay athletes: "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."
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