Will Young opens up about addiction to gay porn
Will Young has opened up about struggling with a porn addiction.
The former Pop Idol singer, who came out in 2002, opened up to The Times magazine about his secret addictions.
Young, who quit reality show Strictly Come Dancing last year under a cloud of mystery, revealed he had battled with post-traumatic stress disorder.
He told the newspaper: “It was important for me to leave Strictly for my own wellbeing.
“It was a number of things. It was nothing to do with the people on the show, and it certainly wasn’t because Len Goodman dissed my salsa.”
He added that self-help books have helped him come to terms with his addictions to alcohol, shopping, pornography and love.
Young said: “I read these things very quickly and it was, like, oh, I get it! That’s why I watch a lot of porn, I’m a porn addict. S**t, didn’t realise that.
“That’s what goes on with the love [addiction] thing… didn’t realise that either. I kind of dealt with it all in nine months.”
The singer added that he saw a shaman to get treatment.
He said: “I heard about her and thought, ‘I’ll give it a go.’ I don’t talk about what happens in the shamanic process because it goes beyond words.”
Young recently opened up about his frequent use of online dating apps.
He said: “I’m amazed that, given the amount of people I’ve sent pictures of my cock to, that it’s not become famous, too.
“Maybe there’s just not enough interest in it? I’m partly offended… God knows why it’s not out there somewhere.”
After the comments, explicit snaps of the star were indeed shared online.
Speaking last year he said: “I was a love addict, I still am an addict, addicted to porn, certainly addicted to alcohol.
“I’d never been on a date without having at least two drinks before I’d left the house and I didn’t even notice that was a problem.
“Drugs I didn’t really get into. I toyed around with it, but it didn’t really stick with me so much.”
Since coming out at the age of 21, Young says he has suffered “17 years of shame”.
He said: “I will keep coming back to shame because it’s such a fundamental thing.
“Until I conquered it I just kept having sex to fill the void, watching porn, shopping, anything, and I think we are told that as soon as we come out everything will be OK, but it’s just not the case.”
“It is different being a young LGBT person because if you are heterosexual you are not dealing with a huge backlog of sexual shame and shame of your identity.”
