'Being a footballer and being gay wasn't a thing' - Jake Daniels opens up about coming out
The Blackpool striker's sharing his story of coming out to inspire others to talk about their feelings
Last updated 23rd Nov 2023
When Jake Daniels announced he was gay, he became the first professional footballer in the UK to 'come out' since Justin Fashanu in 1990.
The Blackpool striker was 17 at the time, and has told MFR that not speaking out about his sexuality had started to have a negative impact on his mental health.
The announcement, in May 2022, received widespread acclaim from the footballing world, politicians, members of the Royal Family, and "99%" of social media users.
First publicly gay footballer in 32 years
Jake's revealed that before going public, he spoke to his mum and sister over text: "I was scared, I was nervous, it was my life's secret.
"That first conversation I had with them, it was literally over a message because I was too scared to tell them in person but that changed it all for me there and then.
"I was able to tell everyone and it made everything so much easier."
Jake was speaking as a new survey reveals one in four people find it hard to open up about difficult feelings.
Impact on mental health
Jake says not speaking out sooner, combined with a football injury that was keeping him away from the game, soon started to get on top of him.
He said: "It took a massive toll on me, what I was going through, it affected me so much, football was my life. It came to a point where I couldn't get it out of my head, I'd wake up and it was the first thing on my mind.
"It was difficult. I knew that wanting to be a footballer and being gay wasn't a thing.
"It had happened to Justin Fashanu when he came out, and massive credit for him doing that, but obviously for me, growing up now, there was no one."
Men urged to talk about their feelings
New survey findings from L’Oréal Paris Men Expert, released to mark Movember, show only 23% of men find it easy to talk to family about their emotions, and 14% say they have nobody to turn with their struggles.
Jake says it's time to redefine what it means to be a 'strong man': "Other men have other problems that they are dealing with.
"Mine was my sexuality, and speaking out really did help me.
"I hope that me doing what I did can really help other men speak out about what they're going through as they're not alone in anything that they're feeling.
"The biggest weight is lifted when you speak to someone and that was how I felt when I spoke to someone about my sexuality.
"I played a game the next day and scored four goals - I really did feel like a weight had been lifted."