In an interview with UK LGBT glossy
Attitude, actor Max Parker announced that he's gay.
Parker, 28, is best known for playing
Luke Posner on the ITV drama Emmerdale.
Speaking with Attitude, Parker
said that coming to terms with his sexuality was difficult in part
because his parents had encouraged him to explore who he was.
“What I've found hardest is probably
coming out to yourself,” he
said.
“One of the main reasons why it took
me quite a while to come out is because my parents are so accepting
and they've always said to me, ' You know, if you're gay, you can
tell us.' And I'm really stubborn and I don't want to be proven
'wrong,' so I was trying to prove to myself, 'No no, they're wrong,
I'm not gay.'”
“Everyone's like 'Don't label
yourself,' but there's some comfort in [thinking] 'What am I? Oh, I'm
gay,'” he added.
Parker said that his relationship with
Emmerdale co-star Kris Mochrie became tabloid fodder. He said
that while he was out to his parents, much of his family was unaware
of their budding relationship.
“It was just quite sudden –
especially in lockdown, things are quite intense anyway,” Parker
said. “The public made [our relationship] official before we had,
really, because we were still only dating before these [articles]
came out, we hadn't really made it official.”
Parker added that out actor Russell
Tovey (Looking) has been an inspiration.
“Russell Tovey has been a big
inspiration for me, seeing a gay man do so well and being so
versatile in [his] characters,” Parker said.