Well not much of a *le gasp* i knew it was coming but it’s taken him far too long to do it! Talk about break my heart i have loved this man sincemy early teenage days. Pop star finally comes out GAY.COM 18 July, 2006 After years of unanswered questions, constant speculation and a certain amount of frustration, Darren Hayes, ex-lead singer of Savage Garden has officially admitted he’s gay. While it constitutes news in some quarters, it also happens to be one of the industry’s worst kept secrets. In a statement made on his website, Hayes states; “As so many of you have given me your heart and soul over the past 10 years I thought it only fitting that I too return the respect and inform you of the most significant event in my life. “On June 19th 2006 I married my boyfriend of two years, Richard, in a Civil Partnership ceremony in London. I can honestly say it was the happiest day of my life. “I feel lucky to live in an era where my relationship can be considered legally legitimate and I commend the UK Government for embracing this very basic Civil Liberty. “I’m proud of who I am, and after what felt like an eternity, I’m finally in a place where my heart is secure and content. And I can finally make sense of all of the searching”. The singer, who hails from Brisbane, Australia, started his musical career by auditioning for Daniel Jones’ band Red Edge. The pair went on to form Savage Garden in 1995. Their first single ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in ’98. He divorced from his wife, Colby Taylor in 1999, a marriage which many believed was at best platonic. By the time ‘I knew I loved You’ from the second Savage Garden album Affirmation reached #1, they were well on their way to generating sales of more than 20m worldwide. The band split in 2001 and Spin, Hayes first solo album racked up close to 2m sales and produced four singles. With legions of female fans screaming in the wings, Hayes has persistently knocked back rumours regarding his sexuality. In the past few years, he’s sailed close to the lavender wind by performing at Sydney Mardi Gras in 2005 and also at Heaven in London. The flurry of appearances at gay venues, where he seemed more than comfortable with adoring male fans and half naked go-go boys, seemed to suggest he was hinting at something. Despite these tentative steps, Hayes continued to dodge the issue. Directly asked about his sexuality by the Sydney Star Observer earlier this year, Hayes proved a master of the obscure; “I find it so funny that we live in a society where you have to be something or another. “I have never been easy to categorise is the honest truth. That is why I don’t get into it. Maybe I exist on a different level.” After 10 years and 24m album sales, Darren Hayes and Columbia/Sony BMG have decided to part ways. The announcement comes after two recently sold out performances at Australia’s Sydney Opera House as a part of his ‘Big Night In’ tour. Hayes will be returning to the UK this week and plans to release a new album under a different label in 2007. //