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Union J member Jaymi Hensley has outed himself as the gay member of X Factor boyband.
The teen singer put to rest online rumours over his sexuality, seeking advice from show mentor Louis Walsh on whether to go public with the revelation. He claims Louis Walsh told him that every boyband needs a gay member.
"I spoke to Louis about this and he said, ‘put it this way, both of my big boybands had a gay member in them.’ So he said it fits the formula quite well," says Hensley in an interview with The Sun newspaper. "Every boyband has got to have a gay one! And Louis just said ‘do it’."
Hensley also spoke of the support from his Union J bandmates, saying his decision to come out was also influenced by his hopes for the band's future success.
"They have always supported me with doing this," he adds. "I didn’t want to do it in five years’ time when I have made money and had a career. I don’t think anyone should have to hide who they are."
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Hensley had been the subject of online rumours in recent weeks, suggesting he had been openly gay before finding success on the X Factor. He claims his admission was to set the record straight.
"People have caught wind of it and I just wanted to set the record straight. It is not a big thing for me — I came out when I was 14 to my family and friends and never had one piece of negativity," he adds. "It is a brave move. There could be negative people, but they are just sad and stuck 20 years ago."
“I hope the reaction will hopefully be, ‘OK, we kind of knew, but well done on coming out’.
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