Saturday, May 4, 2013 4:03am ET by  
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Blue's Duncan James: "I am who I am"

Blue's Duncan James doesn't think it's right that religion "should push you to live a lie".

The 35-year-old singer has previously revealed it was a "a massive relief" when he came out, but he still feels for people who find it difficult or challenging, because there isn't a widespread attitude of acceptance.

James - who is a Roman Catholic - says coming out as bisexual four years ago made him feel guilty, and he sometimes still struggles with those feelings now.

Speaking to British newspaper The Mirror, the popstar revealed he recently went to visit a priest after feeling overcome by his thoughts.

He said: “It was one of the hardest things I’ve done. I went to confession; I needed to confess. I wanted to get my confession out there and this to be a direct way to God – a way of saying: ‘Well this is how you made me’. I saw the priest and he broke the silence with: ‘So what is it you have to tell me?’

He continued: “It was a really hard thing for me to do, to explain I was gay and sleeping with guys. Obviously, this goes against everything the Catholic Church stands for. The priest was very quiet at the other end, and then finally spoke. I thought he was going to give me 50 Hail Marys and 100 Our Fathers but he didn’t. He was actually really cool with it. He gave me my act of contrition, and then gave me one thing to do – read the Gospel of Luke. He said it would help me.

“I got the message and felt relief after going back to church. I don’t go as often as I should, for which I do still feel guilty, but I do still have a massive faith. I just have to adapt it to who I am now. I know there are a lot of strict Catholics out there who will probably want to shoot me down with a gun now for saying that.

“But I don’t believe your religion should push you to live a lie. I am who I am.”

 

 

 

Duncan in a raunchy photograph with his bandmates below:

 

 

 

Watch Blue reform on The Big Reunion here: