England's only out gay active professional footballer Jake Daniels has revealed that Olympic diving champion Tom Daley inspired him to come out.
Seventeen-year-old Blackpool forward Daniels, who publicly came out in May, made the decision to open up about his sexuality after watching Daley's Alternative Christmas Message on Channel 4 last year.
Daley, one of the UK's most famous gay athletes, said if he had one wish for Christmas it would be that "one player steps forward and says, 'I am gay'".
Daniels watched the clip "over and over again" before taking the decision to heed Daley's advice and now says it is "one of the best things I've ever done in my life".
"In football, being gay is a taboo - even now," Daniels said in Channel 4's Out and Prouddocumentary.
"So I had a choice, either live my life as a lie and carry on playing football or come out and have to quit.
"For years I hid it, hid it from my friends and family, and hid it from my coaches and team-mates. I kept my head down when I heard homophobic banter in the dressing room and slowly it started getting to me. I was terrified of being found out and terrified of staying in.
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