Dame Kelly Holmes vows ‘never to live behind that curtain again’ as she enjoys Pride in London with Alison Hammond and Phillip Schofield after coming out
London Pride, wearing denim shorts, a black top and a colourful kimono with a rainbow flag trim at the bottom. Dame Kelly completed the look with sunglasses and a black cross-body bag which also featured a rainbow stripe down the middle.
Addressing the crowd, Dame Kelly insisted she would never live ‘behind that curtain’ again.She explained: ‘For those that don’t know me, I am an honorary colonel with the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment, I am a Dame Commander of The British Empire, I am the first British woman in the history of the Olympic Games to win two gold medals at the same games, I am mixed race and I am also a gay woman.‘For 34 years I have never been able to say those words until two weeks ago due to the fear of judgment and retribution that was instilled in me since the age of 18 because the laws in the military and being in the public eye didn’t allow me to do it.’She thanked fans for their support since coming out, adding: ‘All I can definitely say now is I’m 52, I’m never going to live behind that curtain again.’The sportswoman was joined by Alison Hammond and Phillip Schofield, who both wore white T-shirts with the ITV logo in rainbow colours.
Dame Kelly had publicly come out as gay just two weeks beforehand, having felt she had to hide her sexuality for 34 years for fear of persecution.She revealed that she had first realised she was gay at the age of 17 in 1988 when she kissed a female comrade while was a soldier in the Women’s Royal Army Corps.The sports star revealed that she kept her sexuality hidden for fear of being persecuted as same-sex relationships were banned in the force, but it was the pandemic that spurred her on that it was finally time to be her ‘real self’ after having breakdowns.
