Uruguayan-born actor-model Federico Diaz last week announced he's gay.

“I feel that God gave me a gift by making me gay,” Diaz wrote in a tweet to his more than 34,000 followers. “I leave behind the feelings of confusion and uncertainty that I lived with for many years of not knowing who I really was … Today I start walking down a new path in my life!!!”

Diaz, who has appeared in various Spanish language soap operas, has denied rumors he and singer Ricky Martin are involved in a romantic relationship.

In a Telemundo segment from February suggestively titled Who is the Uruguayan boyfriend of Ricky Martin?, Diaz answered “that does not exist” when asked about the rumored relationship.

“I do not usually talk about what I do or what I do not do with my friends,” Diaz said.

On Monday, Internet blogs buzzed over recently unearthed, nearly naked photos of the handsome Diaz. (Video from a 2012 photo shoot is embedded on this page. Visit our video library for more videos.)