Christmas Bake Off star Olly Alexander revealed that he was driven to self-harm by homophobic bullying.
The It’s A Sin actor is appearing with his co-stars on the festive special of The Great British Bake Off.
Olly first found fame as the front man of the band Years and Years.
But it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the star.
Olly Alexander on the mental affects of homophobic bullying
Olly addressed his traumatic days as a schoolchild in the BBC’s Gay Britannia series.
I was in a really dark place.
In the film, from four years ago, he returned to his old school in Monmouth, South Wales.
He said: “I think I knew I was gay from a very young age, probably in primary school.
“By secondary school I was just in denial.
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“It wasn’t until I was 18 or 19 that I fully accepted it and came out to my friends and my mum.”
Olly, now 30, admitted “School wasn’t a pleasant environment. When I was bullied it was two things.
“It’s the language, being called a ‘fag’ or ‘poof’.
“Being picked on. Being called ‘gay’ as a negative word — it still is, really.
“Then there was the physical side, I got into a few fights.”
Olly admitted he was driven to the eating disorder and self-harm.
He said: “Bulimia and self-harm were a way of coping with that.
“Cutting was a coping mechanism. I was in a really dark place. It’s still really difficult for me to talk about.”
At the end of the documentary Olly said: “What I want to get across is that there is hope — you don’t have to feel like that, if you have the right access to support, friends or family.”
Olly showcasing his culinary skills on the Christmas Bake Off
Olly appears in one of two festive specials of GBBO – the Christmas Bake Off.
He’s reunited with cast members Lydia West, Nathaniel Curtis and Sean Dooley.
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They played Ritchie Tozer, Jill Baxter, Ash Mukherjee and Ritchie’s dad Clive, respectively in the hit show.
Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood return as judges, while hosts Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding will also join the fun.
The Great Christmas Bake off will air on Saturday, December 25 at 8pm.
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