Louis Smith: Tom Daley would have been outed by the press if he hadn’t come out
Olympic gymnast Louis Smith has praised Tom Daley, saying the press would have “twisted” things if he hadn’t come out when he did.
Daley announced last year that he was dating a man, who was later revealed to be Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.
Smith admitted in an interview with Attitude that he thought it was “brave” of his fellow Team GB athlete to come out before the press could out him.
He said: “I think what Tom Daley did was very brave. He definitely made the right choice because when you’re in the public eye someone says something and it gets twisted and before you know it there’s a news article out there before you’ve even had a chance to say anything.
“Whereas what he did, he was able to put the first statement out on his own and tell people how it is; I remember Tom saying that even after he told his best friend he felt so much better, like he had so much weight lifted off him.
“Imagine that as an athlete, imagine having to think about that every day in training, every time you compete. It’s a worry you don’t need.”
Smith, who recieved a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics, also opened up about his gay fanbase, and inappropriate messages.
He said: “You know what, 99 percent of the time they’re fine.
“But now and again you do get the odd tweet — whether it’s from a girl or a gay person – that does kind of cross the line!
“But you have to have a laugh and have a giggle. I mean I like a dirty joke as much as the next person so I do laugh about it.”
