Delighted Tom Daley has revealed how he made the first move on his boyfriend after falling in love at first sight.
The Olympic bronze medallist met his partner – believed to be Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, 39 – at a party.
‘It really was love at first sight, I’d never felt like anything like it before,’ Daley, 19, told chat show host Jonathan Ross.
‘We were at a party and I hadn’t even spoken to him all night. I didn’t know what to do or if he was gay at first. I made the first move, I typed “call me” in his notes with a smiley face on this phone and the next day he texted.
‘I’d never felt the feeling of love, it happened so quickly – to the point I can’t get him out of my head all the time.
‘I’ve never had it before where I love someone and they love me just as much.’
He said his fella even stopped him from quitting his diving career. ‘After the Olympics, I was down in the dumps, as it’s such a hard way to get back into everything but he gave me the extra motivation and made me work harder and that is exactly what I need,’ he added.
And he hoped more young people would be able to speak more freely about their sexuality. ‘It felt like a dirty little secret, it felt like I had chains wrapped around me.
‘I couldn’t be who I was, I felt alone and trapped,’ said Daley, who refused to confirm the identity of his boyfriend.
‘Now that everyone knows, I have nothing to hide, those chains that I felt wrapped around me are gone.’
He urged other young gay people: ‘Tell one person. Tell your story, how you feel.’
The full interview is on The Jonathan Ross Show on Saturday at 10.45pm on ITV.
