US actor Charlie Carver has thanked fans for their ‘love and support’ after he came out as gay.
The 27-year-old, who is best known for his roles in ‘Teen Wolf’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’, opened up about his sexuality in a series of inspiring Instagram posts on Monday.
Charlie Carver
The star revealed that he had come out to his family as a teenager but it was only now that he felt comfortable enough to share his sexual orientation with the world, saying he ‘owed it to myself’.
He wrote: "I feared I would be limiting myself to a type, to a perception with limits that I was not professionally comfortable with. And I created in my imagination an Industry that was just as rigid in this belief as well.
"After having the privilege of playing a range of characters, gay, straight and otherwise, I realize this is not the case.
"I now believe that by omitting this part of myself from the record, I am complicit in perpetuating the suffering, fear, and shame cast upon so many in the world.
"So now, let the record show this - I self-identify as gay - I owe it to myself, more than anything, to be who I needed when I was younger."
Fans were quick to show their support on Twitter…
Charlie later took to Twitter to thank fans for their support, saying he was ‘blown away’ by their ‘support and love’.
“Blown away by the support and love! It was not a secret to many, but I felt it necessary to share (until coming out is a thing of the past),” he tweeted.
He added: “Thank you for the kind words. I couldn't do it without them. Much love xx”