BBC Radio 2 presenter and Homes Under The Hammer star Owain Wyn Evans has spoken candidly about the 'gay shame' he experienced growing up. The broadcaster, who came out at age 17, revealed he suppressed his sexuality due to a lack of positive gay role models.
Evans told the Lancashire Post: 'I knew I was gay from a young age, but I just didn't know what it was because, when I was growing up, there weren't any reference points for what it actually meant to be gay.' He described his upbringing as a 'very masculine and heteronormative environment' where gay people were either the butt of jokes or portrayed as overly flamboyant.
The presenter admitted he felt like 'the only gay in the village' and hid his sexuality. 'I put it in a box and thought "this is a part of me I can hide." I didn't talk about it or understand it,' he said.
Evans, who married his partner Arran Rees in 2017, also revealed that drumming became a refuge during his younger years. He told Music Teacher magazine: 'It was this kind of "you're not normal" feeling... But the drumming has always been a thing that I could just do, because it completely removes you from anything.'
The weather forecaster and BBC Breakfast regular recently underwent emergency gallbladder surgery. He now presents the Early Breakfast Show on Radio 2, a role he has held for three years.
