US SOAP GETS NEW GAY CHARACTER

The character of Phillip Chancellor III, who made a recent surprise return to the American soap The Young and the Restless after twenty years, has revealed that he is gay.

Thom Bierdz’s character died in a car accident nearly twenty years ago, but has returned to the soap, claiming to have faked his death because he was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was gay.

In the show, Chancellor explained this week to his wife why he faked his death, and return to the show openly gay with his partner Thom.

Bierdz is openly gay in real life, and left the show to pursue an acting career in other arenas. He had expressed an interest in returning to the show, but only if producers incorporated his real life sexual orientation into the show.