“I live my life by example”
Professional Ice Skater Matt Evers comes out as gay in an interview with Attitude magazine. The 41-year-old star who is set to take part in the ITV show, Dancing On Ice, reveals that he was brought up in a very strict religious household, but decided to come out after being inspired by his uncle, who died of an AIDS-related illness over twenty years ago.
Speaking to the magazine, Matt said,
“He was part of the original San Francisco and New York Fire Island crowd back in the 70s and 80s. I didn’t know I was gay at the time, but when he was dying it hit me really hard that he didn’t know the love of his mum, my grandmother,”
“They were strict Catholics at the tip of the Bible belt. I wasn’t aware of why his passing and the thought of him never being accepted by his own family hurt me so much until I realised I was gay. It’s scary, the difference between generations.”
Evers reveals that before his uncle’s death, he was “banished” from the family, due to the family’s strict religious views.
Talking about his decision to come out before the show’s launch, Evers said,
“I live my life by example, and I want to show young people that what you feel or how you were born isn’t something bad.”
