Tom Daley confesses to fiance Dustin Lance to online sex with another man and vows to stop after video emerges of Olympic hero stripping for cyber romp
OLYMPIC diver Tom Daley told how he confessed to his fiancé that he had online sex with another man.
Tom said: “It will never happen again” — after film emerged of him stripping for a cyber romp.
The Olympic diving ace revealed it took place in a seven-month split from hubby-to-be Dustin Lance Black.
But he pledged: “This will absolutely never happen again now that we’re getting married.
"The date is set, and we’re raring and ready to go for that wedding now.”
Tom said he and film-maker Dustin, 42, had secretly been “on a break” because of the demands of their long-distance relationship when he chatted with other men online and indulged in cyber sex with one.
Tom said he had confessed all to Dustin about his online sex session.
And he insisted to The Sun his relationship with Dustin — who he calls Lance — was now stronger than ever.
Olympic bronze medallist Tom said: “It was the distance. It’s not like I actually met up with anyone.
“I’m 22 years old, and if you talk to someone through social media it is what it is. It was nothing more than that. We never physically met.
“But in the modern world this is what can happen — things are more accessible online, and distributed, and they spread like wildfire.
“People are just exploring and finding out what can be done and how easy it is to not even think about what you’re doing online.
“Me and Lance after working through that distance through the amount of time we’ve been together, sometimes it takes something like a little bit of time apart to realise how fond you are of each other.
“That’s why we’ve been enjoying planning our wedding so much in the last few weeks.
“We don’t have secrets in our relationship. We’re honest and open about everything. When we were back together I told him everything.
“Lance and I had a period of time apart, and then coming back together and realising we’re meant for each other.
“We’re soulmates — and the only way that we were going to get back to that point was to be honest, open and share everything that happened in our time away from each other.
“It’s totally crucial to us that we are completely and totally open with each other.
“I don’t think I’ve done anything more or less than any other 22-year-old has done. Lance and I have such a strong connection that again our honesty and openness is so important.”
Fans had no idea the pair had temporarily split last year and Tom’s social media for 2016 is full of happy pictures of the pair.
But behind the scenes Tom’s relationship was in turmoil and he turned to other men for comfort.
The Sun can reveal Tom first made contact with a male fan from Liverpool in February 2016 — just months after announcing his engagement to American Dustin.
Related Stories
He sent the lad a love heart emoji in a private message from his Instagram account and told the 23-year-old stranger he was “fit” before sending his mobile number.
The diver has fronted a charity campaign urging young people to think carefully before sending sexual images and videos online.
But he repeatedly begged the man to come to London to visit him during their 11-month online exchange.
And he also sent him intimate pictures and the explicit video via Snapchat. The pair were even in contact last Friday night but did not meet up.
Tom admitted: “It was the two biggest years of our lives work-wise — it was my Olympic year and Lance was filming his mini-series for ABC called When We Rise, and distance can be hard sometimes.
“We made these decisions because it was something we felt was the right decision to make for us at the time — but in time it has actually made us grow stronger together.
“We feel like it was the right thing. I couldn’t now imagine living without Lance. And that’s why we are getting married.”
Dustin told The Sun: “Tom and I talked about anything and everything that went on. That’s the secret to how we are so close and can survive tough times.
“I was out of the country for about seven months last year — I’d been back and forth before that too, and in that time Tom and I took a decision to take time off.
“We didn’t tell a lot of people and it wasn’t the easiest time for us — so what Tom did in that time was his personal business.
“But as soon as my production was done we realised we can’t live without each other, and adjustments had to be made to make sure that we are never separated for any reason, including work, ever again.
“Part of that process is also why we’ve actually now set a date for our wedding.
“We finally set a date and things are very good, very good now.
“But distance is tough, and a lot of time apart is tough. I do wish that what has happened in Tom’s personal life was kept personal but those aren’t the times we’re in.
“I didn’t really want to know and I was very busy so I didn’t really want to pursue anyone – and we never felt out of love with each other.”
In January last year, just days before one of Tom’s online romps, the pair gave an interview for “The Love Issue” of gay magazine Out.
Dustin said: “Love is a commitment to me — something that goes deep. You can’t have that at first sight. It has to be earned.
“But did we start to fall in love at first sight? I believe so.”
And he revealed how he hoped to have children with Lance.
“We’re in the planning stages at the moment and it is very exciting. But I’ve not been to a wedding since I was five so who knows what it will be like?”
Tom met Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin in March 2013, at a dinner organised by friends in LA.
He is a screenwriter, director and film and TV producer and also an LGBT rights activist.
He shot to overnight fame after scooping an Academy Award for the 2008 film Milk.
Tom made the first move, scribbling his number on a napkin at the end of the night.
Since going public with their relationship they have dominated each other’s social media.
Tom’s official Facebook page has more than 2.7million likes, his Instagram has 1.7million followers and his Twitter 2.6million followers.
GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or EMAIL [email protected]
Gay clip seen by millions
TOM came out as gay in a YouTube video in 2013.
The clip has since been viewed more than 4.5million times.
Equality organisation Stonewall said he was “a role model for thousands of other young people”, while Lady Gaga called him “inspiring”.
It was only after meeting Dustin that Tom thought he might be gay.
He said: “I guess it has always been in the back of my head, but you never really know.
“I’d been in relationships with girls where I’d had sexual feelings, but it became so much more intense when I met Lance.”
Tom started diving aged seven and became the youngest gold medal winner at the European Championships aged 13.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics he was Great Britain’s youngest competitor, aged just 14.
A year later he became Britain’s youngest world champion.
At 16 he won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and he is the only person to have won the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year award three times.
Tom won an Olympic bronze at the 2012 London games. He bagged a second bronze, with his diving partner Daniel Goodfellow at Rio 2016.
GOT a story?
RING The Sun on (0207) 782 4104 or EMAIL [email protected]