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Will Young: ‘I Didn’t Come Out To Be A Gay Role Model’ - EXCLUSIVE .... Stephanie Soteriou July 23, 2015

Will Young is one of those stars who has been in the limelight for absolutely yonks.

Will made his name way back in 2002 after sassily putting a snarky Simon Cowell in his place on live TV, breezing through to the final and beating Gareth Gates to become the original Pop Idol, but the star was set to hit the headlines again a month after winning the show, when he came out as gay.


And thirteen years ago, that was kind of a big deal.
Still, despite inspiring a whole bunch of LGBTQ+ across the nation with the revelation, Will has insisted that he never wanted to be a ‘gay idol’, and instead was always hellbent on just staying true to himself.
Catching up with the 36 year old following the release of his very successful comeback album, 85% Proof, he opened up about exactly what it was like coming out as a public figure.


Referencing the fact that he was threatened to be ‘outed’ by a paper, Will told us: “I was going to come out in a paper anyway, so it just ended up happening earlier.
“I was never advised to keep it quiet, it just wasn’t going to be an issue because, to be honest, why should it be? I’m not going to do this job and pretend that I am someone that I am not, so I just thought I’d get on with it and do it because there’s more important things to do.


“It just seems like such a different time, I can’t even believe a big issue was made of it, but of course it was.”
And despite being a ‘big deal’ in the papers, coming out clearly didn’t have an impact on Will’s career, with the star telling us: “I’m not sure on the reaction overall but I think a telling statistic would be that I came out and then the next record I did sold over twice as much.
“What that shows is that the music is the most important thing, if there’s a great song it will shine through over everything else so that is a shining example.”


Still, he has his own views on being a role model, adding: “I think coming out to be a ‘gay role model’ would have been a bit arrogant.
“It’s a bit like, ‘congratulations to all of you, you have me’. I think I would be a w*nker if I thought about being an inspiration or an idol.
“I just think it is being true to yourself, we should all be true to ourselves in everything and I try to with everything. I don’t want to be any other way.”


But being a gay man doesn’t come without its downside, with one fan’s response to his coming out sticking in Will’s mind for over a decade, he joked: “I had a great letter from someone, a ten-year-old girl, saying: ‘Why have you told everyone that you are gay?
“‘Now you are never going to find a wife!’ That was just the sweetest thing, I still have it, it was so cute - and she was right, I still haven’t found a wife!”
Swings and roundabouts, eh babes?


Despite not having a wife, Will’s musical comeback has taken the nation by storm with the star bagging a number one album, which he was obviously chuffed with.
He told us: “I was hoping for it to do well because it’s always a great thing to get number one, it’s nice to say and just sounds good.”
It sure does.
And the huge album is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his busy itinerary, with Will explaining:“I have the tour and more live stuff next year, I’m also promoting this album around the world.


“It’s really great to be back on the bandwagon because I haven’t done it for so long. My life is so normal; I potter around on the tube and it’s really normal.
“I do get spotted but it just doesn’t matter to me, I just go about my day and I think that’s the best way to be because people won’t get overexcited… If they are prone to getting overexcited…
“Getting stopped for pictures is just a part of my life, I’m used to it, it’s been a long time and it doesn’t really even enter my mind. If I have a lovely exchange with someone it really sticks with me for the day.


“I think that I’m so lucky to have people come up and say something that really touches me, they’re like recharging moments. I’m reminded to do my job as well as I can.”
Sharing one particularly heartfelt anecdote, Will shared: “One person came up at a signing and she finds it really difficult to leave the house, and she told me she left the house and got on the train to come to a record store signing.


“I was like, ‘that’s amazing’, I nearly burst into tears. It meant so much to me that she had done that.”
And, to be honest, that is exactly why Will will always be a pop idol… No matter how much he tries to deny it.
Will’s newest single ‘Thank You’ is out tomorrow, 24th July, and available to pre-order NOW.
Check out the beautiful music video for it below: