Blue star Duncan James has admitted that his daughter Tianie-Finn, 16, has been subjected to vile abuse from online trolls due to his sexuality. The singer, who is currently competing on Celebrity MasterChef, came out as bisexual in 2009, before revealing he was gay in 2017.
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Duncan, 42, said he was shocked by how "awful" people can be, seeking out his teenage daughter online in order to message her about her dad's sexual orientation.
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The star recently told Fabulous magazine: "She is at an age where she is very much into her phone, and her friends are all on social media platforms like TikTok - it’s very much her life.
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"She's also aware that people could be horrible. People can be quite nasty about me being gay and say quite horrible things about the fact that I'm a gay dad.
Duncan James' daughter Tianie-Finn, 16, has been trolled over his sexuality
"People have written to her, saying, 'Isn't it disgusting your dad's gay? How do you feel? You must be ashamed of him', and stuff like that, and you're just like, 'Why are you writing to a kid saying stuff like that? Are you really crazy?' People are just awful."
Duncan – who was linked to the likes of Geri Horner and the late Tara Palmer-Tomkinson in the past – was in a relationship with Tianie's mother, Claire Grainger, from 2002 to 2005 and the pair remain close as they co-parent their daughter together.
Duncan co-parents with ex-girlfriend Claire Grainger
He revealed they are on the same page about limiting Tianie's social media use in order to avoid online trolling.
The singer added that the youngster, who is a student at the Royal Ballet School, and her safety will always come first for them.
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The All Rise hit-maker is currently dating Brazilian boyfriend Rodrigo Reis, who he describes as a positive influence and a "happy, smiley" person – and most importantly, his daughter approves!
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Duncan confessed that while it's taken him years to be comfortable with his sexuality, he's never been prouder to be gay and refuses to let trolls make him feel otherwise.