‘Happy for you!’ Kelly Holmes inundated with support by celeb pals as she comes out as gay

Dame Kelly Holmes, 52, has received a wave of supportive messages after she publicly came out as gay. The Olympic legend said she was “petrified” of speaking out about her sexuality, but now feels like she can “breathe”.

Kelly told her 82,000 Instagram followers yesterday: “I can finally breathe. Yes, I have been petrified of putting this out – you have no idea.

“This journey has been the hardest part of life. Living with any kind of fear is debilitating. You are here every day but not fully living every day.

“I have lived in fear for 34 years and I am exhausted and don’t want to anymore.

“I hope those that read my story will help me through this next scary phase but also be there for others.”

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In a separate post, Kelly shared an image of the Pride flag and said she was happy that she could finally show her support for the LGBT+ community.

She penned: “Never before have I been able to show my support or add my voice to the importance of people having an identity and visibility.
 
“Tonight, that changes and I hope that if you trust and respect me as I know a lot of you always have, you will follow my journey into helping people understand and gain more knowledge so we can let people live their authentic lives.”

After sharing the news, many of Kelly’s famous friends took to the comments to praise her.

While Radio One presenter Adele Roberts echoed: “We love you Kelly.”

And Fearne Cotton said: “Love you Kelly.”

Kelly explained that she wanted to make the announcement on her own terms.

She told the Mirror: “I needed to do this now, for me. It was my decision.

“I’m nervous about saying it. I feel like I’m going to explode with excitement.

“Sometimes I cry with relief. The moment this comes out, I’m essentially getting rid of that fear.”

She added that she was “convinced” throughout her life that if she came out, she would be “in trouble”.

She says her family and close friends have known for years.

Kelly also revealed that she has a partner, although wishes to keep any further details private.

source: express.co.uk