Monday's edition of This Morning was an emotional one after Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby welcomed legendary athlete Dame Kelly Holmes onto the programme to discuss the sports star coming out as gay.
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After Kelly told her story about how she wanted to be true to herself, Phillip and Holly were both visibly moved. In one moment, Phillip asked Kelly about why now was the right time for her to share her truth, to which she explained: "We know things have changed over the years and there's more visibility now, but we've all gone through this massive pandemic and it shocked a lot of people.
WATCH: Phillip Schofield gives advice on coming out
"I got quite ill with COVID and I was laying on the sofa one day just thinking that when I die all my friends and family will be standing at my funeral saying 'Oh wasn't it a shame she couldn't be [herself]?' And I just thought that was my right."
Fighting back tears, she continued: "And I just needed to find a way to do it, I didn't know how to do it. And the one call I did to a brigadier, I just had to make this call just to say 'What will happen if I come out?' and she said 'Nothing'. That one call changed everything for me."
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© Photo: RexDame Kelly Holmes recently came out as gay and will reveal her journey in a new documentary
At this point, Phillip, who came out as gay in February 2020, was also in tears as he said to his co-star, "That's a conversation I had with you. I said 'What's going to happen?'", to which Holly agreed, adding: "And this is a conversation that's probably happening in households up and down the country, and the world and actually having both of you having done it and being terrified to do it… look at where you are now."
Addressing Kelly directly, Holly added: "It is possible, and I know you just said here, I've never been happy, I hope you look forward to that happiness now and see it as a real tangible thing."
© Photo: RexPhillip Schofield came out as gay in 2020
Kelly continued: "The hardest thing has been being in the public eye, and I've put that into perspective and I hope so many people who have a barrier, they can speak to people. We're still just us, we're still humans we deserve to live. We have emotions like everybody else."
Phillip finished the interview by asking: "I'm going to ask you this, and you can just nod your head, but please tell me there's someone special in your life?" to which Kelly simply gestured and smiled.
The Olympian is also set to detail her journey further in an upcoming documentary, Kelly Holmes: Being Me, which will air on ITV on Sunday 26 June.
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