27 year old Keegan Hirst, who was the first Rugby player to come out open about his sexuality has revealed the suicidal thoughts he battled with before coming out. He became Rugby league’s first openly gay British player when he went public with his sexuality in August 2015.
In an interview with UK Mirror yesterday February 9th, Hirst revealed how he felt so alone that he even considered taking his own life because he had a wife and kids and didn’t know how they will take to his devastating revelation.
Since coming out, Keegan Hirst has seen his life change significantly. He ended his marriage with his wife Serena, he became friends with Ian McKellen and Elton John, and he was feted at Manchester Pride (even wearing a Stonewall “It Gets Better” T-shirt).
“I had a lot of things going on in my head. Was I gay, wasn’t I gay? Was it a phase? There were one or two occasions when I did think about taking my own life. I even got as far as thinking about how I’d do it, where I’d do it. But then you started to think about who’d find you, what effect would it have on your family and friends and things like that. That always kind of brought me back. I got my head round it. Most of my friends and family took it well. My mum struggled with it for a while. I suppose I’ve had 27 years to get my head around it so obviously I’m okay with it but when you tell someone and they’re not expecting it you’re kind of dumping it on their feet. I suppose they have to come out with you.”