Swimming legend Ian Thorpe reveals he is gay

Swimming superstar Ian Thorpe has revealed he is gay, saying he has only been comfortable talking about his sexuality "in the past two weeks".

The 31-year-old Australian, who won nine Olympic medals and 13 world titles, had previously insisted in his autobiography that he was heterosexual.

"What happened was I felt the lie had become so big that I didn't want people to question my integrity," he said in an interview with Michael Parkinson on Australian network Channel Ten.

"A little bit of ego comes into this. I didn't want people to question have I lied about everything?

"I'm comfortable saying I'm a gay man. And I don't want young people to feel the same way that I did. You can grow up, you can be comfortable and you can be gay.

"I was concerned about the reaction from my family, my friends. I'm pleased to say that in telling them, and especially my parents, they told me that they love me and they support me."

Thorpe, Australia's most successful ever swimmer, also discussed his long-term battle with depression.

"I didn't want anyone else to know, to share my problems with people, that I'm unhappy because I'm living what is a dream life for an Australian," he said.

"I am a tremendously successful athlete. I should be having the time of my life, and I'm not.

"And so I decided to keep it from people when I know that the best thing I could have done was to actually speak to my friends, to include my family in this, for people to watch out for me."

Thorpe won five Olympic gold medals, including three in Sydney in 2000, before retiring from the sport in 2006.

He attempted a comeback with the aim of making Australia's team for the 2012 Games in London, but failed to qualify.