BOY BAND MEMBER (OFFICIALLY) COMES OUT

Jonathan Knight, a member of New Kids on the Block, has confirmed that he is gay after he was accidentally “outed” by 80’s singer Tiffany.

Tiffany made the remark in a recent television interview, commenting that she had briefly dated Knight when she was younger but that “he turned gay later”.

She apologised for the gaffe, but Knight (42) has now responded via a message on the NKOTB blog, insisting that he wasn’t in the closet in the first place:

“I have never been outed by anyone but myself! I did so almost twenty years ago. I never knew that I would have to do it all over again publicly just because I reunited with NKOTB! I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay!

“Apparently the pre requisite to being a gay public figure is to appear on the cover of a magazine with the caption “I am gay’. I apologise for not doing so if this is what was expected! My belief is that you live your life by example, and not by a caption on a magazine! If there ever has been any confusion about my sexuality, then you are someone that doesn’t even know me!

“I love living my life being open and honest, but at this time I choose not to discuss my private life any further! My fellow band members don’t discuss their private lives with their loved ones and I don’t feel that just because I am gay, I should have to discuss mine!”

In 2009, The National Enquirer published an interview with a man who claimed to have dated Knight.

Eighties American boyband NKOTB consisted of Knight, his brother Jordan, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood and Donnie Wahlberg and sold around 80 million records around the world.