Mitcham: ‘I was surprised when Tom Daley came out’

Out gay diver Matthew Mitcham has admitted that he was surprised when Tom Daley came out last December.

The Australian athlete – who is currently in Glasgow competing in the 2014 Commonwealth Games – said that he had dinner with Daley just a month before he addressed his sexuality in a YouTube video.

Speaking to CNN about Daley’s video, Mitcham said: “I was as surprised as everyone else. I’d even had dinner with him a month before it happened and I never knew anything. I totally understand with how young he is and, growing up in the public eye, it would’ve been extremely hard.

“I felt very fortunate that I didn’t get famous until after I had well and truly established my sexual identity, whereas he’s been in the spotlight since he was 13. It’s a really hard position to be in so I totally commend and support how he did it and when he did it.”

Mitcham recently spoke about swimmer Ian Thorpe’s decision to come out during an Australian TV interview, saying that Thorpe can prove the gay “stereotype” wrong – read more of Mitcham’s thoughts on Thorpe’s coming out here.

Read more about Ian Thorpe coming out in his interview with Sir Michael Parkinson here.