TOWIE’s Charlie King: Being in the closet left me feeling empty

Former The Only Way is Essex star Charlie King says he struggled to see the point in life when he was still in the closet.
King, 29, came out as gay on This morning last month.

He previously had a short-lived relationship with TOWIE star Gemma Collins, but admits he wasn’t being true to himself or those around him, leaving him depressed and “feeling empty”.

King told aTeen magazine: “I had plunged myself into my own catering business to keep me away from people and would work until I was so tired that I could go home, sleep, and walk the dogs and go back to work.

“I found myself feeling very empty, I was driving a beautiful car, wearing lovely clothes but actually not having friends to share it with, no social life and everything I thought I had wanted was exactly what I didn’t want.

“I would ask why am I struggling inside so much, why am I so lost and why is it I have so many blessings but am so unhappy? What is my purpose? Was there any point in living?”

He added: “Gemma was someone who I really did like – I found myself drawn to her as a person. I dated her because I thought at that time it was what I wanted to do.

“I guess looking back I can see how it looks now – she wasn’t going to want to jump into bed right away, not did I think she would pressure me to do so.

“We didn’t click and I guess deep down my struggles with identifying who I am were lurking in the distance.”