Five-time Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe has admitted that he is a "little bit ashamed" that he didn't come out as gay sooner.
The 32-year-old opened up about his homosexuality during an interview with Michael Parkinson back in his homeland of Australia back in July.
On Wednesday night, Thorpe was named as GQ's Man Of Influence at an event at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney.
In an interview with GQ magazine, Thorpe said: "The thought that young people are looking up to me, watching what I do and say closely, has always been strange for me.
"I'm a little bit ashamed that I didn't come out earlier, that I didn't have the strength to do it. I didn't have the courage to do it, to break that lie."
Thorpe carried out a stint in rehab back in February after he was spotted looking disoriented near to his parents' home in Sydney.
