Former Boy Bander Duncan James Says He's 'Proud 2 Be Gay'

Former British boy-bander Duncan James has shared an adorable photo with his new boyfriend, and opened up about his sexuality.

“Such a beautiful person inside and out,” he wrote in a caption of an Instagram photo of his hunky BF, Rodrigo Reis.

James came out as bisexual back in 2009, several years after his pop group Blue temporarily disbanded, though he later clarified that he identifies as gay. In a later interview, he said that he had been pressured to come out publicly as bisexual by a tabloid that had been keeping tabs on him.

“They found some guy who knew all about me and told me they’d either run his story or I could tell them mine, and it was better to come from me,” he said back in 2013.

And while he once was afraid to come out publicly as gay, James seems to have been able to work through that hesitation now.

“I posted this pic on my Insta yesterday & couldn’t get over the amazing response, comments and love from people,” he wrote on Twitter. “I didn’t identify as a gay man for many years because of my own issues with coming out, but finally I’m happy in my skin & this guy next 2 me makes me proud 2 be gay.”

James has previously appeared in the mega-popular British soap opera Hollyoaks and is currently touring the UK as everyone’s favorite Sweet Transvestite from Transexual Transylvania, Frank-N-Furter, in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.