Gareth Malone opens up on homophobic bullying: ‘But I always knew I wasn’t gay’

Gareth Malone has spoken about being bullied in school, largely because other kids thought he was gay.

But the choirmaster, who is married to a school teacher named Becky and has two kids, says it “didn’t break [him]”.

In a new interview with the Daily Mail, he explains: “I set myself up by talking about classical music or singing something classical on day one.  I was different, I was skinny, I was rubbish at football and I liked classical music, therefore I was gay.

“It was largely homophobic bullying but I always knew I wasn’t gay, so deep down it didn’t break me. There is a huge pressure to follow the crowd when you are a kid and I didn’t.”

On being branded a ‘gay icon’, he said: “Well that’s very flattering. I’m incredibly pleased to be any kind of icon.”

Gareth’s TV and music ventures have made him a household name, and he still has other ambitions to tick off the list, if possible: I can afford to think about what to do next. I’d like to do my own music, I’d like to do more television shows.

“A chat show would be nice but I’m very involved in the shows I make. The licence fee-payers will be relieved to know I work very hard.”