<p>Ian Thorpe, Australia's most decorated Olympian, revealed he was gay in an emotional television interview on Sunday, ending years of speculation about the champion swimmer's sexuality.</p>.<p>The five-time Olympic gold medallist made the admission to British journalist Michael Parkinson in a pre-recorded interview broadcast on Australia's Channel 10.</p>.<p>"I've thought about this for a long time. I'm not straight," Thorpe said, struggling to hold tears back.<br />"And this is only something that very recently, we're talking the past two weeks, I've been comfortable telling the closest people around me, exactly that.</p>.<p>"I've wanted to (come out) for some time but I couldn't, I didn't feel as though I could.</p>.<p>"What happened was I felt the lie had become so big that I didn't want people to question my integrity."<br />Thorpe had long denied he was gay and wrote in his 2012 autobiography 'This Is Me' that he was heterosexual.</p>.<p>"For the record, I am not gay and all my sexual experiences have been straight," Thorpe wrote in the book. "I'm attracted to women, I love children and aspire to have a family one day.</p>.<p>"I know what it's like to grow up and be told what your sexuality is, then realising that it's not the full reality. I was accused of being gay before I knew who I was."<br /><br />Thorpe said constant questions about his sexuality, starting from the age of 16, had contributed to guarding his personal life.</p>.<p> He had also been discouraged by homophobic taunts from the public. However, he admitted a big part of his reticence was that he was troubled that revealing he was gay would not fit into his image as "Australia's champion".<br /></p>
<p>Ian Thorpe, Australia's most decorated Olympian, revealed he was gay in an emotional television interview on Sunday, ending years of speculation about the champion swimmer's sexuality.</p>.<p>The five-time Olympic gold medallist made the admission to British journalist Michael Parkinson in a pre-recorded interview broadcast on Australia's Channel 10.</p>.<p>"I've thought about this for a long time. I'm not straight," Thorpe said, struggling to hold tears back.<br />"And this is only something that very recently, we're talking the past two weeks, I've been comfortable telling the closest people around me, exactly that.</p>.<p>"I've wanted to (come out) for some time but I couldn't, I didn't feel as though I could.</p>.<p>"What happened was I felt the lie had become so big that I didn't want people to question my integrity."<br />Thorpe had long denied he was gay and wrote in his 2012 autobiography 'This Is Me' that he was heterosexual.</p>.<p>"For the record, I am not gay and all my sexual experiences have been straight," Thorpe wrote in the book. "I'm attracted to women, I love children and aspire to have a family one day.</p>.<p>"I know what it's like to grow up and be told what your sexuality is, then realising that it's not the full reality. I was accused of being gay before I knew who I was."<br /><br />Thorpe said constant questions about his sexuality, starting from the age of 16, had contributed to guarding his personal life.</p>.<p> He had also been discouraged by homophobic taunts from the public. However, he admitted a big part of his reticence was that he was troubled that revealing he was gay would not fit into his image as "Australia's champion".<br /></p>