From OUT: Keegan Hirst is now Britain's first out Rugby League player. Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, the 6-foot-4 captain says that being open about his sexuality has been a relief. (Photo Above: Hirst posed for a Sports Calendar before his coming out.)

"At first I couldn't even say 'I'm gay' in my head, let alone out loud," Hirst says. "Now I feel like I'm letting out a long breath that I've held in for a long time. I had a wife and kids. I've been a builder, doorman, worked in factories, I play rugby. I tick every macho box. How could I be gay? I'm from Batley for goodness sake. No one is gay in Batley," Hirst said.

The Yorkshire native, who recently split up with his wife, says that he came to terms with his sexuality this year and his journey to come out started when he saw what his being in the closet was doing to his wife.

"I finally told my wife I was gay a few weeks ago. She blamed herself when we separated, but I knew she'd done nothing wrong. I couldn't bear it any more, the guilt of it all, of her not knowing why I left. It was eating me up. I couldn't get the words out, I felt like I was going to be sick. But I managed to say it. She didn't say anything at first. I explained why and how I felt, it was very emotional. We were both in tears."

Though it was initially nerve-wracking, Hirst says he's all the better for it.

"I'm comfortable in my own skin, probably for the first time ever," he said. "I'm not withholding anything and there's not that sense of dread. I suppose the stereotype of a rugby player is that you're supposed to be tough, you're supposed to be macho."