Duncan James says it was ‘really hard’ to come out as gay as he appears with boyfriend Rodrigo on Loose Women

BLUE'S Duncan James has said it was "really hard" to come out as gay during an emotional appearance on Loose Women.

The 42-year-old star, who came out in 2017 after years of "living a lie" appeared alongside boyfriend Rodrigo Reis.

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He said: "For me it was a really hard thing to do to come out, coming from a boyband, a world where you have a lot of female fans.

"There was a lot of pressure from the record company, I didn't want to let the boys down so I kept my mouth shut."

He explained that they had been kept apart during the coronavirus lockdown and hadn't seen one another since December.

And Rodrigo admitted he had no idea Duncan was a Blue superstar when they met, saying: "In Brazil, where I am from, they’re not so famous."

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Duncan said in 2009 that he was bisexual and came out as gay in 2012, telling his Blue bandmate Simon Webbe.

He explained: "When I told Simon, he encouraged me to speak to my mum, who was in LA with me in a hotel at the time.

";I raided my mini bar, drank a load of drinks, then knocked on her door.

"I was sobbing and I sat her down and said: 'Remember my friend Pete? I’ve been in love with him. He’s been my secret boyfriend.'

"She said: 'You’re gay? I thought you were going to say you had cancer.'"