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Joe McElderry won the X Factor back in 2009 setting records with his cover of Miley Cyrus’ The Climb, with 50,000 sales. He beat Olly Murs and Stacey Solomon in the final competition, where he sang with George Michael and won a recording contract worth
£1million.

At the time, his only experience with men was just one kiss and he was in a previous relationship with a girl for three years prior to the competition. But the cat was out of the bag when someone hacked into his Twitter account and outed him as a joke.

The hacker’s message read, ‘It’s been difficult living a lie for so many years…’

However, Daily Mail reports that after Joe got over the initial shock of being outed, he decided to come clean and live life in honesty.

‘It has been the most amazing year so far and I feel so
privileged. It’s also been a time of real self realization and I feel as if I
have grown up so much in these few months.

‘There has been speculation about my sexuality in the past and I have always
been honest at the time I have been asked.

‘Over the past few weeks I have really
had time to reflect and to realize who I am. I spoke to my friends and family
about this in the last few days and it was important to do the same for you all
as you have been so supportive.

‘I have had nothing but support from you and many of you have been very open
in saying that you will continue to support me whatever my sexuality. It is
important to me to let you know first, so that you know the stories in the
papers are true. I made the choice to speak openly about this.’

Joe was upset at first, but then he admitted, “Well, they’re not that far from the truth.” But he is happy to report, “Everything is going well and I’m really happy to be able to move forward from
here.”

Simon Cowell, who has had problems of his own, was especially supportive when Joe McElderry came out to record executives at Syco earlier this week. Photographed here in the studio working on new album for US release back in December, Joe didn’t come out to his mother until he was on a train from Newcastle to London after the scandal hit news stands last week. Luckily, he is very happy with how things have turned out.

“I think the Twitter thing was the point when I realized I was gay,’ Joe told The Sun. “I’m feeling good about it, it’s liberating. Now I can just get on with my life,” he said.