Dancing on Ice professional skater Colin Grafton has expressed his delight at the public’s reaction in the wake of him opening up about his sexuality.
The 32-year old American found fame last year after reaching the final of the ITV show alongside The Vivienne in just his first series – something he compared to an “incredible out of body experience”. In 2024, meanwhile, he was partnered with Coronation Street star Claire Sweeney, but the pair were voted off the show in week four.
Realising his dream of living in the UK, Rhode Island-born Colin is now looking forward to making the most of his new life this side of the Atlantic and is ready to find love in London. The 6ft skater and model told the Daily Star, that whilst he never “came out” at any point specifically, his openness was a result of the comfortability he now feels in his life.
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“I didn’t really come out as such – I just feel I’m at a point in my life right now where I’m just proud of the person I am,” he explained. “I’m very comfortable with myself.”
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Colin continued: “I know there’s been a lot of interest in my personal life in previous years, especially after the show last year. I think I just started talking about it [his sexuality] more and things like that, and not hiding anything. I think a couple of weeks ago that kind of turned into me coming out.
“But since those things came out and I’ve been talking about it openly I have had so much support from all sorts… mothers telling me that their son was in sports and they’re gay as well and that I’ve inspired them by being honest. So many congratulatory messages and it just feels really good to be honest.”
(Image: ITV)
Former US junior bronze medallist Colin went on to reveal why he left Massachusetts and that now he’s settled in the UK he’s ready to find love. “I am single!” he declared when we asked. “I’ve moved to London and I feel for the first time I’m living somewhere where I feel it’s the right time and I’m open to meeting someone and going on a few dates and seeing where things go.
“I absolutely love living in London. It’s always been a dream of mine to live in the UK for as long as I can remember. I don’t know if it was from watching Harry Potter or whatever it may have been, but I’ve always dreamed of living here and now life has given me this opportunity and I’m very excited about it.”
(Image: Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Ahead of Sunday’s final, meanwhile, Colin was non-committal as to who he’d like to see secure victory on the ice. “As cliché as this sounds, the standards have been so high this year, genuinely,” he said. “We’ve been watching the four finalists train this week and I absolutely cannot call it. All four really bring their own thing to the table and they’re so strong.
“This year in particular we have a close-knit cast and I want them all to win! I’ll be supporting all four and I can’t wait to see the numbers they come up with.”
(Image: Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
After being eliminated with 52-year old former Brookside star Claire last month, Colin was left to reflect on the disappointment, but emphasised the importance of other aspects of the contest. “We made it to week four but we had the best run we could have done,” he continued. “We both thought we put our everything into it and we had a blast doing it. Claire and I just enjoyed our time so much and we enjoyed every performance. We made it to almost halfway, but this show isn’t always about winning. It’s about learning a new skill, conquering fear and putting on a show for the public.”
Colin finished by adding that to wind down from the series he’s going to “take a small holiday back home and have a quick trip to Toronto” before returning to the UK.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
