I’m probably aging myself, but I remember a time in Olympic swimming before Michael Phelps. I remember when The Thorpedo, aka Ian Thorpe, reigned supreme. Thorpe, an Aussie, won multiple gold, silver and bronze medals in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, plus he broke records and owned several other international swimming competitions too – you can see his Wiki here. He was a HUGE deal. Before Michael Phelps took over and broke a lot of Thorpe’s broken records.
As far as I knew, Ian just faded away, perhaps gracefully aging out of competitive swimming. But as I only found out this weekend, it wasn’t so graceful. Apparently, Thorpe has spent the past several years struggling with depression plus drug and alcohol abuse. Oh, and he spent a lot of the past fifteen years lying about his sexuality too. I had never really thought about his sexuality, but it seems like a lot of people did want to know and he repeatedly denied he was anything other than heterosexual for years and years. Now, in a new interview with Michael Parkinson, Thorpe comes clean. He’s gay.
After years of denial, swimming champion Ian Thorpe has revealed he is gay in an exclusive interview with Sir Michael Parkinson. The five-time Olympic gold medallist and Australia’s most successful Olympic athlete to date, has revealed his sexuality in an interview to be aired on Australian television on Sunday night.
According to Australian newspaper the Sunday Telegraph, Thorpe, 31, who retired from swimming in 2012, “confirms his sexuality” and “has bravely revealed he is gay” during a tell-all interview. A teaser clip released by Australia’s Network Ten shows Parkinson asking the swimmer: “You’ve always said that you’re not gay. Is all of that true?” The camera then shifts to an uncomfortable looking Thorpe, who contemplates his response.
The interview, which Parkinson has described as one of the best he has conducted, also details the swimmer’s battle with depression, drugs and alcohol, which caused him to check into a rehabilitation unit earlier this year.
The revelations are dramatic particularly because Thorpe has always vehemently denied rumours of his homosexuality. In his own autobiography This Is Me, published in 2012, the swimmer said that he found questions about his sexuality hurtful, writing: “For the record, I am not gay and all my sexual experiences have been straight. I’m attracted to women, I love children and aspire to have a family one day … 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.”
Wow, I guess I didn’t realize that Ian was only 17 during the 2000 Summer Olympics. Asking a 17 year old Olympian about his sexuality should be off-limits. It’s like the Tom Daley thing – I hated that there was SO much speculation about his sexuality in his early days, but he made it worse by vehemently denying his homosexuality. Anyway, it sounds like The Thorpedo has had a rough time of it. And you know what? He’ll probably feel a lot better now that he’s come out. That’s what all of the younger gay celebrities say – that coming out was the best thing they ever did, that now they’re just free to be honest about everything.
PS… Maybe I’m crazy but I think The Thorpedo has also had some plastic surgery?
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
Great great athlete, hope he finds contentment.
He is one of the greatest Aussie athletes and gave us so much joy!
He has been going through this for so long and should’ve been allowed to come out on his own terms.
I’m happy for him now and I hope he finds peace, and a loving relationship.
I was also lucky to swim with him a few times – a huge highlight!!!
I agree. He should be able to come out on his own terms. Its incredible to think how much pressure and how many expectations have been on his shoulders since even before his first Olympics – that’s already a lifetime of training. Add in questions about sexuality, which is complicated for most young adults even in the best of circumstances, and it’s no wonder that Thorpe has been such a troubled man.
Actually he ‘s the greatest in terms of medals won. I worked with his cousin twelve years ago and she was quite open about the fact that he was gay, so I don’t know why this has been such a huge revelation to some people. However I’m disappointed with him, just as I’m disappointed with a lot of public figures, for not coming out earlier. I think it’s highly selfish of him to put his career and image ahead of standing up to bigotry. If sponsors etc don’t want to give you money because you’re gay so be it. You shouldn’t take money or support from bigots anyway.
I don’t know if he had plastic surgery. I think like most men as they age their face gets fuller. He was teen before. He has a man’s face now.
It’s sad that the world thinks it has the right to know about your sexuality. That you have to identify that for people. It really is no ones business. Maybe the hiding and being scared someone would find out or use it against him was a lot to have on his shoulders. Maybe now he can just go on and live his life. My thing is now that people know what does that do for them. How does it affect anyone outside of himself.
+1
Given his history with depressions, the changed face could also be a side-effect of the meds, that slightly puffy look.
Also, we’re used to seeing him when he’s in Olympic shape – he probably carries more weight normally when he’s not training like a world record breaking athlete.
I don’t think there’s plastic surgery. He’s put on a bit of weight in the last 6 months due to his broken shoulder that won’t heal. And he certainly hasn’t faded away from the spotlight in Australia or the UK either.
I long for the day when someone’s sexuality is a non-issue. Good luck to him.
This. Plus infinity.
I wish it wasn’t an issue, and people didn’t get asked about it when they were 17. Maybe someday it won’t be, and a 17 year old won’t feel like they have to hide who they are. Maybe his coming out will help that happen.
Pretending to be someone you’re not is so lonely. I’m sorry he went through that. I hope he can be happy in himself now.
It must be a huge relief for him.
Totally. I hope he overcomes his addiction issues as well, which while I am assuming, most likely stemmed from attempting to mask his sexuality.
Also, I like his face. I know nothing of his heritage, but he looks like a Sami to me, and Laplanders are cool. The end.
It may not be a case of a 17 year old hiding who they are. Many 17 year olds haven’t figured out who they are yet. On a vaguely related note it used to drive me nuts when relatives would ask if I was going to get married (even though I wasn’t even dating) or asking newlyweds if they’re having kids (they may not have decided yet). People develop on their own schedule. It’s irritating to force decisions on them before they’re ready.
Very true. I agree he could have still been figuring it all out. I didn’t express myself very well.
I loved him during the Olympics!!!! So freaking hot!!! He doesn’t look nearly as good now but I’m guessing that’s a result of drugs and alcohol.
Glad he feels comfortable enough to be himself. Sad so many gays feel the need to hide.
I think he still looks pretty darn hot. And I don’t see evidence of plastic surgery.
Agreed that it’s good that he’s decided to come out. Wishing him peace and healing now that he doesn’t have to hide anymore.
Hopefully this will help his recovery. Feeling like you have to hide a large part of your life could only make his problems worse.
Now he has laid it out, he can recover and maybe even have a relationship out of the closet.
And now people can shut up about it ffs.
Why people care about strangers sexuality is beyond me.
I wish that famous people who are gay wouldn’t vehemently profess that they are heterosexual. I think that they should just avoid answering the question all together. I understand that it is hard to come out as a gay man or woman (not to mention it’s hard keeping that secret from everyone), but these celebrities/athletes/whomever do not have to respond to anyone who asks them anything about their sexuality. It’s nobody’s business.
With that said, it’s nice that he finally gets to tell everyone what’s truly in his heart and not have to hide it from everyone anymore. Good for him.
PS – And that dude was one hell of a swimmer.
They do it because, one, it hurts their endorsement deals. You sacrifice for years to be an Olympian, hard work and dedication, and as a champions you are getting extraordinary chances after to financially recoup all those years of sacrifice. Would you want to lose millions and millions of dollars and maybe career opportunities after? Two, his parents might have been very religious and he wasn’t ready for them to know.
From this day forward, ‘STFU’ and/or storming out of an interview should be the sanctioned response to any media inquiry or speculation about one’s sexuality.
Fine if a celeb wants to volunteer information but otherwise it is so incredibly rude for media to go there. How sad and twisted (and understandable) that Thorpe has felt the need to hide when the truth is it’s media who should hide in shame.
I feel the same way. It sucks that people were asking him about his sexuality when he was a teenager and probably still figuring it out, but some of his denials are quite recent. By denying it so vehemently he’s perpetrated the idea that being gay is somehow shameful.
I adore Thorpey, only got introduced to him when he was a BBC pundit during 2012. So funny, so warm, I really wish him all the best.
He recently had to pull out of competitive swimming after building up for a comeback because of a shoulder injury, but he still trains just for the love of swimming. Considering he retired due to a lack of motivation and falling out of love with his sport, I think that’s brilliant 🙂
The Thorpedo ftw. I hope he is happier now that he came out.
He is still a big big name in Australia. I like him best for two amazing TV shows he was involved in: undercover angels which was like Charlie’s angels and he sent off d grade celebs to perform good deeds, and his multiple appearances as a guest judge on Australia’s next top model. He knew a lot about fashion and modelling.
And he had his own sports water line which I think was called Thorpedo!
There’s been a huge outpouring of love for him in Australia, I think he’s going to be much happier now.
I was just thinking about Undercover Angels tonight after hearing about his interview. I’m a softy for all those do-good shows, and I really loved it. I’m happy that he finally felt comfortable enough to come out, and also happy that someone as veteran and well respected as Parkinson was the person who got the scoop.
what annoys me is that some outlets are talking like he lied in his autobiography. maybe at that point in time he did consider himself hetero. some people go through a period of confusion about their sexuality, maybe he did. look at all the people, both men and women, who have hetero sex, marry, have kids, and then suddenly they realize that that isn’t who they are and they throw open the door to new experiences. that doesn’t mean they were lying before, it just means they’ve changed their life’s course to what feels right now.
It’s not as uncommon as the media would have people believe, esp if you’re from a culture or social group or family that is very homophobic, to “force hetero” yourself, too.
I agree, that’s completely unfair. My nephew is gay, and I always thought he was, but he wasn’t ready to come out until his early twenties. We never talked about it in his teens, but he dated girls and pretended to be straight. I never thought of that as lying. It was just part of the process he went through to get to the point where he felt comfortable being open about it.
GoodNames – It is a process. My nephew (20 and only out to some family) is also going through a similar process. At age 15, early in his identity struggles, he was suicidal and hospitalized for 3 weeks. It’s been a long road back to emotional stability and he still wobbles at times but he just finished his first year at university!
It isn’t just getting comfortable with telling everyone else. It could have been that it took a long time for him to come to terms with himself. For all we know, Thorpe could have been denying it because he himself hoped that denial was true. The world of sports isn’t the easiest place to come out as gay, and it is clear that this has been a struggle for Thorpe.
Oh, MinnFinn, that makes me so sad that he went through so much. I hope he has a beautiful future of happiness in front of him and all the pain is in the past. People don’t understand how hard it is.
Yes, Bridget, I totally agree. I don’t know if he had come to terms with it yet in high school or not. I will always wonder if I should have said something to him. I mean, I said things like it’s ok to be different or to like different things from everyone else and be true to yourself and you’re a beautiful human being etc. but I never said anything about him being gay because it was just a feeling I had, and I didn’t know if he knew it or even if it was true. Anyway, I agree with everything you said.
I find it sad that being gay or not is still such a big issue. It shouldn’t be.
As long as there’s religious influence there will always be considerable opposition to gay people. Secular society might have moved on but millions of religious zealots haven’t and won’t.
Kaiser, don’t worry about aging yourself since you remember a time in swimming before Michael Phelps. I remember when Mark Spitz was swimming’s golden boy. Yes, I’m old and everyone get off my lawn. 😉
I wanted a Mark Spitz poster, so get off my lawn, too. Lol
He’s also had a recent scary health issue. He had something with his shoulder which resulted in surgery and almost cost him his arm. That may have contributed to any depression/substance abuse issues as well and also may e made him assess what’s important in life. Good for him–he’s young enough despite his accomplishments to go on and lead a life free from innuendo and speculation. And it’s so tacky to ask someone who isn’t even a legal adult whether they’re gay or not.
“The interview, which Parkinson has described as one of the best he has conducted”
This is all about ME!!!!
It’s a shame that people repeatedly pressured him about his private life, which is no one’s business. I’d imagine all of that, and having to hide who he was, contributed to his depression and substance abuse issues. I hope now that he’s come out, he feels a sense of relief and knows how much support he has – and how he’s probably helped others in a similar situation.
That’s pretty harsh to be asked about your sexual identity at 17 years old. I just can’t imagine the pressure he must have been under during his swimming career. Glad he feels he can understand, accept and talk about his sexuality.
I remember the Thorpedo! I am an American and he was one of those athletes that you just had to respect regardless of nationality. He was incredible. Maybe I wasn’t in tune with gossip back then but all I remember from the American press was just about his athletic ability and nothing about his personal life other than the NBC background stories they did/do on amazing athletes during the Olympics. On a shallow not wonder what it is like to be enveloped in those large hands and arms.
What kind of moron asks anyone about their sexuality? I’d be offended if someone came up to me and asked me if I was hetero – and I am. It’s no one’s damned business!
I met Ian Thorpe once just after he retired from swimming. He and I went to the same uni. He’s one of the loveliest people I have ever met. I’m disappointed that the media hounded him and were more interested about his sexuality than his character and his achievements. He’s clearly struggled with some personal demons over the years and people were constantly in his face.
This guy strikes me as being such a gentle, kind soul and it flabbergasts me that some moron asked him about his sexuality at 17! WTF? When I was 17 I was sleeping with girls, we all were, as a part of a working out process about our sexuality.
You can see in the interview that he’s not well. His eyes are Britneyed. But my guess is that now he’s summoned the strength and fortitude to live in his truth, his anguish will abate and his depression will recede.
Imagine living with that sort of secret for so many years, fearful of it getting out, living in terror of losing the respect of your friends, peers, parents, countrymen?
Good luck Thorpie. You are a beautiful man.
It’s really nobody’s business and I feel sorry for him. He’s a nice guy and at his peak he was huge back home in Australia. I’m sorry to hear he went down the road of drugs and depression. I hope he finds peace now having this out in the open and can move on with his life and be happy.
It’s almost impossible to emphasise how obsessed Australians are with sport.
Such is the macho culture, it’s telling that not one AFL player has come out as gay. We’ve made great headway in eradicating racial vilification from sport……sexuality seems to be the last bastion.
Not many Aussies would be surprised at Thorpie’s “coming out” and most would wish him well.
As an Aussie I vividly recall the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The excitement, Thorpedo, restaurants had big screens so patrons could watch whatever was on, Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi started with these Olympics. Ian is liked and respected over here.
I find it a non-issue that he is gay. My 12-year old daughter’s response was “why is this on the News? who cares if he’s gay? as long as he’s happy”. Maybe the tide is turning.
So true, no 17yo/teen (Olympian or not) should be asked about their sexuality. And even more when they have such a huge public exposure.
I am very sad to know he went through such difficult times.