Given their high-profile careers, it is understandable that many British TV presenters would keep their personal lives private. However, a few brave personalities exist who have openly come out as gay.
These gay presenters are trailblazers who have helped to increase LGBTQ representation in the British media. Their stories have also helped to foster public understanding and acceptance of other individuals.
Below is a look at the top British TV presenters who have openly come out as gay and some interesting facts about their professional and personal lives:
1. Phillip Schofield
- Shows: N/A
- Previous jobs: Presenter at ITV’s This Morning
- Education: Newquay Tretherras School
- Ethnicity: Caucasian (British)
- Partner: Stephanie Lowe (separated)
Phillip Schofield is one of the most high-profile openly gay British TV presenters. He made headlines in 2020 when he announced that he was gay via an Instagram post.
Shortly after announcing he was gay, Schofield separated from his wife. They had been married for nearly 27 years and had two daughters together.
Professionally, Schofield has enjoyed a successful career in the media; he started as a presenter for a youth music show at the age of 19. He then went on to hold several high-profile roles at the BBC and ITV, including shows like Going Live!, Dancing on Ice, and The Cube.
However, his career has been on the decline since leaving ITV’s This Morning in 2023 following speculations of a falling out with his co-host, Holly Willoughby.
2. Alan Carr
- Shows: BBC’s Interior Design Masters
- Previous jobs: Presenter, The Friday Night Project, Alan Carr: Charity Man, and Going Out with Alan Carr
- Education: Drama and theatre studies at Middlesex University
- Ethnicity: Caucasian (British)
- Partner: Paul Drayton (Separated).
Alan Carr is another prominent openly gay British TV presenter, though he does not consider this to be a defining trait about himself. In a 2017 YouTube interview, he revealed that he has always been open about his sexuality from a very young age.
Career-wise, Carr has enjoyed a successful career on TV, having started as a guest on shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats and The Law of the Playground. He then went on to host The Friday Night Project, Alan Carr’s Celebrity Ding Dong, and Alan Carr: Chatty Man.
Besides TV, he has also worked as a host and presenter on the Radio, including BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music. On top of that, he is a writer and stand-up comedian.
3. Matt Lucas
- Shows:
- Previous jobs: actor (Doctor Who) and host of The Great British Bake Off
- Education: Drama at the University of Bristol
- Ethnicity: Caucasian (Jewish heritage)
- Partner: Kevin McGee (Civil partnership dissolved)
Matt Lucas is a British actor, comedian, and TV presenter. He is openly gay (having reportedly suspected his sexuality from a young age) and made headlines in 2006 when he entered into a civil partnership with Kevin McGee.
Career-wise, Lucas made a name for himself as an actor, having appeared in films and shows like Shooting Stars, Little Britain, Catterick, Rock Profile, Astro Boy, and Alice in Wonderland. He is also famous for having portrayed Nardole, a doctor’s companion in Doctor Who.
Lucas also boasts of a successful TV career. He has appeared as a guest or presenter in shows like The One Show, The Last Leg, Fantasy Football League, The Great British Bake Off, Lorraine, The Graham Norton Show, QI (panellist), and The Matt Lucas Awards.
4. Graham Norton
- Shows: The Graham Norton Show
- Previous jobs: Stand-up comedian, actor (Father Ted), and Radio 2 presenter
- Education: English and French at University College Cork
- Ethnicity: Caucasian (Irish)
- Partner: Jonathan McLeod
Graham Norton is another popular openly gay British TV presenter. In a 2020 interview with The Independent, he revealed how hard it was to be gay in Ireland in the 1980s, which prompted him to move to London to meet other gay people.
Career-wise, Norton started as a stand-up comedian before transitioning to a career as a TV host and presenter. His entry into TV began with Channel 4 and Channel 5, where he hosted shows such as Carnal Knowledge, So Graham Norton, and V Graham Norton, among others.
He has also worked for the BBC (both TV and Radio) and ITV. His most famous programme to host is The Graham Norton Show, a talk comedy show that has won him five BAFTA TV Awards.
5. Rylan Clark
- Shows: Rob and Rylan’s Passage to India
- Previous jobs: Presenter on ITV’s This Morning
- Education: Coopers’ Company and Coborn School
- Ethnicity: Caucasian (British)
- Partner: Dan Neal (Divorced)
Rylan Clark is a British TV presenter who is openly gay. He was previously married to Big Brother contestant Dan Neal, and the duo made history in 2017 when they became the first gay couple to present the ITV This Morning show.
Clark rose to fame when he appeared on The X Factor as a contestant and, later, Celebrity Big Brother as a housemate. He then joined Channel 5 as the co-host of Big Brother’s Bit on the Side.
Since then, Clark has presented several shows, including This Morning, The Xtra Factor Live, Eurovision: You Decide, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, Up Late with Rylan, Dating Naked UK, and Ready Steady Cook.
6. Stephen Fry
- Shows: Jeopardy!
- Previous jobs: Host of QI, Fry’s Planet World, and Stephen Fry in America
- Education: BA at Queens’ College, Cambridge
- Ethnicity: Caucasian (Jewish heritage)
- Partner: Elliot Spencer
Stephen Fry is another of the openly gay British TV presenters. He acknowledged his sexuality at a young age, but struggled to keep it a secret due to fear of homophobia.
However, that’s all changed, as the presenter married his partner, Elliot Spencer, in 2015.
Fry began his career as a sketch comedy writer before going on to appear in British TV in voice-overs and commercials. He also wrote several shows for TV channels like the BBC and Granada Television.
He is also a successful actor, having made his debut in the 1985 film The Good Father. Since then, he has appeared in several movies and TV shows, including Wilde, Gosford Park, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Jeeves and Wooster, Kingdom, Bones, and 24: Live Another Day.
As a presenter, Fry has hosted several shows, including ABC News Breakfast and Jeopardy! Australia, Legend of Ashes, and QI. He is currently the host of the UK version of the quiz show, Jeopardy!
7. Dan O’Neill
- Shows: Snow Leopards with Dan O’Neill
- Previous jobs: Presenter Zombie Animals
- Education: BSc and PhD in zoology at The University of Sheffield and MA in wildlife filmmaking at the University of the West of England.
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Partner: N/A
Dan O’Neill is a British field biologist, wildlife filmmaker, and wildlife TV presenter. He is considered the first openly out LGBTQI+ wildlife presenter.
O’Neill has revealed knowing that he was gay from a young age, but vehemently denied his sexuality for a period, and it wasn’t until he was 20 that he came out.
He has also disclosed dealing with homophobia in his career, from being told to “play down” his sexuality to being denied opportunities for being “too gay.”
Career-wise, O’Neill is a regular presenter on BBC Earth. He has presented shows and documentaries like Daniel O’Neill Investigates, After We’ve Gone, Giants, Animals, They’re Just Like Us, Nature’s Ultimate Survivors, and more.