Union J's Jaymi Says He Had An Easier Time Coming Out As Gay Than Joe McElderry

28 May 2013, 13:37

The boy band star opens up about his decision to come out to the public as gay.

Union J's Jaymi Hensley says he had a much easier time coming out on The X Factor UK than former show winner Joe McElderry.

The 'Carry You' singer came out to the public as gay during his time on the ITV1 show last year, but says it was easier for him as he had already been open about his sexuality to friends and family for a number of years.

"The difference with Joe is that his family didn't know, when all the rumours were going around," Jaymi told Attitude magazine this month. "He was coming out all at once.

"I've been out for nine years now," the Union J star explained. "Whereas I think he was a young kid, he was 18 or 19.

"If he hadn't accepted that or been out already, to do it publicly, it was a really different ball game that I was in," Jaymi continued. "I've been out since I was 14."

The boy band star went on to speak about how important The X Factor UK was last year in terms of featuring more gay people than ever before, citing many acts on the show who were open about their sexuality in 2012.

"It was a massive year [on X Factor] for openly gay people," Jaymi revealed. "There was myself, Rylan [Clark], Lucy [Spraggan] and Jade [Ellis], so I didn't feel, at the beginning, I needed to speak about it because there were other people.

"I thought it was important for kids to know I have made nine weeks on X Factor without having to speak about it, but when I do, it's going to make absolutely no difference whatsoever," he added.

Check out a picture of Union J's Jaymi Hensley showing off his new tattoo below (Credit: Twitter):

Union J release their debut single 'Carry You' on 2nd June and will perform one week later at the Capital FM Summertime Ball 2013 at Wembley Stadium (9th June).