Almost seven years on from his X Factor victory and after much speculation online, Matt Terry has openly talked about his sexuality for the first time.
The vocalist, now 30, gained fame when he triumphed on Simon Cowell’s talent show in 2016, with his first single, When Christmas Comes Around, reaching number three on the UK chart.
In recent years, Matt has taken a step back from the public eye and has been on a genuine personal journey, now feeling a great sense of relief after opening up about falling in love with a man.
Speaking to Gay Times, the star – who won The X Factor at the age of 23 – said it was ‘so hard’ to read articles speculating about him being gay when he first became famous.
‘Any comment I saw or heard, any tweets, my heart would drop and I would immediately break into a sweat,’ he said. ‘I went on the show because I love to sing. I didn’t want to be – it sounds so silly – famous. I’m not here for that. I want to dedicate my life to my passion and my art, which is songwriting and my voice.’
Matt admitted he ‘didn’t think ahead’ when he applied for the ITV show and, when he emerged victorious, he ‘never thought about what would happen.’
‘I never thought about the press or my sexuality or, “What am I gonna tell people?” The paparazzi would always write, “Matt Terry kisses male outside pub” or, “Matt Terry likes Tom Daley’s Instagram picture.” I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I hadn’t spoken to my family. I hadn’t spoken to my friends. It was getting on top of me.’
He recounted the ‘pressure’ he was under by his label, describing his former team as ‘not the best’, to the point where he would be grilled on his sexuality by his manager who claimed to be ‘defending’ him by denying rumours to the press.
‘That’s when I decided that [my sexuality] is for me. That’s when I said, “I’m going to take a step back. I will let you in when I know who I am”,’ he shared.
‘So, I privately came away from the industry, and lots of people have been like, “Where have you been?” I’ve been discovering who I am as a human and as an artist. This is me taking back control.’
Matt reflected on being constantly ‘asked for an answer I couldn’t give’ because he hadn’t yet ‘explored’ his sexuality.
At this point, he had never ‘been with a man’ but he knew it was ‘a side of me that existed’.
The vocalist quickly began feeling overwhelmed, hence why he disappeared from the public eye for a long time.
Now, however, he feels like a ‘fully developed adult’ and he’s able to recognise how ‘unfair’ the constant interrogation was regarding who he was attracted to.
Thankfully, now, he’s ‘so happy’ and ‘loves the human he’s discovered’ in himself.
‘I chose to move forward, and now I’m so happy. I love the human I’ve discovered in myself, and I hope I can do the same for other people.’
On his family’s response to him coming out, he said: ‘Luckily, I have a family where I just came home one day and said, “So, this is my partner and we’re together.”
‘The entire family said, “Great, what did you have for dinner?” I now live with a mindset and heart open to all, and I believe we should all live by the idea that we all say: love is love.’
In a different part of his coming out interview, Matt mentioned Kit Connor and the challenges he encountered after Heartstopper’s release when social media pressured him to identify his sexuality, essentially compelling him to come out as bisexual at 19.
Regarding the situation as a ‘letdown’, Matt urged people to refrain from ‘pushing’ others about their sexuality.
He’s now putting out a new single, His Car, in which he sings about a male romantic interest after years of being coerced to appear in music videos alongside women.
Having previously declined substantial amounts of money for tell-all interviews on being gay, Matt now feels ’empowered’ and ‘liberated’ to be coming out on his own terms.
