British swimmer Dan Jervis, 26, came out as gay on the BBC LGBT Sport Podcast ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next month.
On the podcast, Jervis described coming out to a female friend of his for the first time. “I said to her: ‘I think I’m gay.’ I couldn’t even say: ‘I’m gay.’ I was basically punching the words out,” the Olympian said.
“She was quite shocked but great, and it was exactly the reaction I wanted. I’ve had all good reactions, and the way I’ve described it is I’m not going to change as a person.”
Dan Jervis said it took him 24 years to admit to himself he was gay and ‘be who he really is.’ “Everyone’s journey is different,” he said, “but I think I’ve always known.”
“It was something in the back of my mind, bugging me. I thought I was bisexual and had girlfriends that I loved – but it came to about three years ago where I knew I had to deal with this.
“It wasn’t affecting my swimming, but me as a human being. It sounds quite drastic, but I wasn’t enjoying my life. Yeah, I was smiling, but there was something missing to make me properly happy.”
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games, is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations.
Jervis, originally from South Wales, won 1500m freestyle silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He also competed for Team GB in the Tokyo Olympics last year, and placed fifth.