I feel like I’m going to explode with excitement. Kelly – looking radiant in a white blazer and red flared trousers – tells us: “I needed to do this now, for me. Dread of being “outed” or judged tainted a parade after winning 800 and 1,500 metres gold in Athens in 2004.Īfter years of pain, and fully aware of rumours about her sexuality, she is grateful to be breaking the news on her own terms.Her barracks were raided in a search for proof of same-sex relationships.Fear of being prosecuted – at a time when homosexuals were banned from the Forces – forced her into silence.She was a 17-year-old soldier when she first realised she was gay after a female comrade kissed her.Years of self-harm included one episode at the World Championships. Bottling things up triggered breakdowns and left her suicidal.A scary brush with Covid made her realise she needed – and wanted – to show the world her “real self”.In a heart-rending exclusive interview, she reveals: The English sporting superstar turned to the Sunday Mirror to come out at the age of 52 – in Pride month.īehind her beaming smile, Kelly has lived a “secret life” for decades.Īnd she admits: “There have been lots of dark times where I wished I could scream that I am gay – but I couldn’t.” Olympics legend Dame Kelly Holmes has broken a 34-year silence to tell the world: “I’m gay.”