Gus Kenworthy breaks down as he recalls struggling to keep his sexuality secret

Gus Kenworthy has opened up about how he struggled to keep his sexuality secret.

In an upcoming episode of MTV’s The Challege: Champs vs. Pros, the Olympic medallist talks about the pain he felt staying in the closet for so long.

Breaking down in tears, Gus explains that he thought he wouldn’t be able to continue his life as an athlete if he came out.

“I just always thought my life as a skier and as a gay man couldn’t co-exist. The pain of holding onto this lie and the pain of being in the closet was greater than the fear of coming out.

“I just hope that my story can be a beacon of light for other people that are in the closet and just let people know that the best way you can live is authentically and genuinely and everyone deserves to be happy,”

I am gay. pic.twitter.com/086ayvChq2

— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) October 22, 2015

After coming out in 2015, Gus spoke about his decision in a statement, where he explained that he had grown tired of lying to other people.

“Hiding everything away is so painful. I mean, it’s like you’re constantly lying and you’re constantly feeling like you’re being deceitful. I’m just at that point where I’m ready to kind of open up and let everyone see me for me, and I hope everyone accepts it,” he said at the time.

Watch the emotional clip below:

Gus featured on the cover of Attitude back in March 2016, where he recalled the homophobic he used to be confronted with from his friends and fellow competitors, and admitted he thought Russia’s anti-gay laws made it “unfit” to host the Sochi Winter Olympics back in 2014.

Watch a behind the scenes video from his shoot below: