Rugby League player Keegan Hirst has come out as gay

Rugby League player Keegan Hirst has come out as gay, making him the first openly gay British player in the sport.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mirror, the 27-year-old prop for the Batley Bulldogs said, “At first I couldn’t even say ‘I’m gay’ in my head, let alone out loud. Now I feel like I’m letting out a long breath that I’ve held in for a long time.”

Hirst, who is married with two children, added, “I had a wife and kids. I’ve been a builder, doorman, worked in factories – I play rugby. I tick every macho box. How could I be gay? I’m from Batley for goodness sake. No one is gay in Batley.”

After coming to terms with being gay, Hirst realised he had to come out to his wife because she blamed herself for him leaving her – something he also spoke to the Mirror about.

Hirst and his wife have told their kids, aged seven and two, that they have split up but didn’t go into details, as the children are still “too young to understand”.

The interview also touches on Hirst’s struggles with his sexuality since he began feeling attracted to guys at age 15, how he came to accept that he was gay and the fear of rejection if people ever found out.

“I thought I’d be disowned by friends and family but I haven’t been,” he said. “The support from my teammates and other rugby league players has really surprised me, it’s all been positive.”

Since his coming out, words of encouragement and support have poured in for Hirst, and he took to Twitter earlier today to thank fans, friends and supporters for their well wishes.

I'd just like to say a big thankyou to everybody who's taken the time to send all these best wishes.It's very humbling and much appreciated.

— Keegan Hirst (@KeeganHirst) August 16, 2015

Read the Mirror’s interview with Hirst here.