Chris Maloney, who finished third in the last series of 'The X Factor', has finally opened up about his sexuality and confirmed that he is gay.

The singer sat down for an exclusive interview with showbiz journalist Dan Wootton, who has since claimed responsibility for the nickname 'Baloney', and explained that he never denied his sexuality but just didn't think there was ever a right time to discuss it:

"Do you know what, I'm going to admit it - yeah. Honestly, I've never denied it or anything like that. It's just that with the show it was always an inappropriate time or people just asked inappropriate questions."

The full interview can be read in the March 18 edition of Now magazine. Meanwhile, Wootton has also written a backup piece to accompany the segment and confesses that he understands how hard it must be to come out publicly:

"The most common criticisms will inevitably be ‘as if we didn't already know' and ‘why is he only admitting it now'. But the fact Christopher, who has had a serious boyfriend for over three years, didn't feel comfortable to discuss his sexuality openly until now shows just how difficult it can be to publicly come out."

"That's why anyone who is thinking of slagging him off for talking about it now should keep their thoughts to themselves. Even though we're in 2013, coming out in the public eye can be brutal."

Watch one of Maloney's performances from 'The X Factor' here: