“This year has been a lot for a lot of people and it has probably resulted in a lot of people looking at themselves in the past year to find out who they are,” said Underwood. “I’ve walked away from myself for a long time, I’ve hated myself for a long time. I’m gay. I came to terms with that earlier this year, and the next step in all of this was to get people to know. healthiest I’ve ever been in my life. That means everything to me. “
The former star of ABC’s “The Bachelor” said he wished he’d accepted his truth sooner.
“I’ve had sort of a series of responses and the underlying most common was ‘I wish you had told me sooner’ and when I hear that I wish I had had a little more confidence in my friends and family,” said Underwood. “The only reason I’m with you today is because I have the love and support of my friends and family.
Underwood spoke of questioning his sexuality in his book “The First Time: Finding Myself and Looking for Love on Reality TV.”
In it, he said that dating Randolph helped him realize he was straight.
[The show taught me] that I’m straight and that I’m very, very attracted to Cassie and women – but it would have been good if it had been the other way around, ‘Underwood told Entertainment Tonight.’ I think that’s the biggest message I have for people. “
Following its announcement Wednesday, GLAAD issued a statement in support of Colton.
“Every LGBTQ person’s journey to discover and accept their authentic self is different, and Colton Underwood’s decision to share his truth with the public is a reminder that there is no set timeline for coming out” , said Anthony Allen Ramos, GLAAD’s Head of Talent. “Given the great and loyal fandom Colton knows from ‘The Bachelor,’ hopefully his arrival and discussion of his faith will open eyes to the millions of proud and proud LGBTQ people who are also people of the faith.”