Celebs who confessed about their sexual orientation

It was not an easy decision for Olympian swimmer Ian Thorpe to come out of the closet and be open about his sexual orientation. Known as ‘Thorpedo’ for his record-breaking performances, he found support from various corners.
With other celebs too having come out openly about their sexuality in the recent past, answering the ‘straight’ question up front has set these stars a league apart. Here’s a lowdown on celebs who came out in the open about their sexuality and chose to tread differently:
Martina Navratilova Martina came out in 1981 when she was at the top of her game. The path that she chose was not bereft of challenges, which had her lose plum endorsement deals. But that did not stop her from making a significant contribution to her game. In 2013, when US basketball hero Jason Collins announced his sexual preferences, he cited Martina as his inspiration.
Robbie Rogers US footballer Robbie Rogers opened up about his sexuality on his blog in 2013. While the soccer star got a lot of support from the LGBT community for being true to himself, his life story has reportedly inspired a TV series which is being planned.
READ: Ten famous gay couples in Hollywood
George Michael Singer George Michael came out about his sexuality in an interview in 1998. The Careless Whispers singer, who hit the headlines for the wrong reasons including the charges of lewd conduct in a public toilet, has been fighting for LGBT rights ever since the revelation of his sexuality.
Ricky Martin The pop heartthrob ended speculations surrounding his sexuality in 2010 on his website. Ricky Martin, who broke up with boyfriend Carlos Gonzalez Abella in January 2014, is a proud father of twins Matteo and Valentino born to a surrogate in 2008.
Cynthia Nixon The Sex And The City actress candidly confessed about her sexual preference and even got engaged to education activist Christine Marinoni in 2009. In 2012, Cynthia married her girlfriend after same sex marriage was legalised in New York.
Matthew Mitcham The decision to come out of the closet just before winning a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 by Australian diver Matthew Mitcham was hailed as a bold move, given that Matt’s better known for his diving records rather than his sexual orientation.
Elton John After declaring himself a bisexual in 1976, Sir Elton John again came out of the closet in 1988. Elton and his partner David Furnish went into a civil partnership ceremony in 2005. They are set to marry after a change in the law in England and Wales to allow same-sex weddings.
Jodie Foster The Academy Award winning actress, who put speculations to rest during her Golden Globe 2013 speech, was spotted with a wedding ring. Jodie married actor-photographer girlfriend Alexandra Hedison in April 2014 after dating for a year.
WATCH: Ricky Martin - María