Harry Cook: ‘Tom Daley helped inspire me to come out’

Aussie actor Harry Cook has revealed that Tom Daley helped inspire him to come out as gay.

Cook, 22, came out last year in a YouTube video, just days after Tom Daley spoke about his relationship with Dustin Lance Black in a similar clip.

“I actually had [my] video saved on my laptop for probably about two months before I decided to post it,” Cook recalled during a recent interview with attitude.co.uk.

“When Tom Daley came out and I saw the support from everyone, it pushed me that little bit more forward into going through with it. It’s a scary thing, but I don’t regret it for a second. I couldn’t be happier.”

Cook went on to argue that he thinks it is important for people like him, who have a reasonably high profile, to speak openly about their sexuality.

“People in the public eye can have a huge impact on gay rights when they are open about themselves and their sexuality,” he said. “So to shut people down and say ‘we already knew’ or ‘why is this necessary?’ is ridiculous. It is completely necessary for public figures to be open about themselves.”

Click here to read our full interview with Harry Cook – in which the actor reveals that he received negative comments from some members of the LGBT community after he came out.