Darren Kennedy has spoken candidly about the bullying he faced when he was coming to terms with his sexuality at just 16.
The tv presenter is known for his vivacious personality, positive attitude and all round cheery demeanour, but life hasn’t always been easy for the Darren we all know and love.
The 32-year-old has revealed that when he was coming to terms with his sexuality as a young boy, he suffered extreme bullying and found it really hard to cope with the persistent abuse.
“It makes my blood boil because it can lead to tragedy.” he told The Weekend magazine.
“It’s already hard enough when you’re trying to figure things out around your sexuality and are worried about how people will react. I have no problem with people throwing a dig, I can handle that, but it was things like having eggs thrown at me and being called a ‘fag’ that upset me,” he continued.
“You’re left wondering how these people know what you are before you even know yourself for sure? It was really tough and it got really dark at one stage, but thankfully I got through it.”
Darren went on to say that although he thinks the referendum result was ‘amazing’, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that there are a lot of young children across the country feeling confused about their sexuality.
“There are young boys and girls struggling right now all over the country to come to terms with who they are,” he said.
“The bottom line is that you’re still going against the grain when you’re gay. I’ve been there and I’ve lived it and my message to young people is that it really does get so much better -you will flourish and come into you’re own when you get older.”
We think Darren’s a complete inspiration!
