The singer returned to the stage for the first time since a tell-all interview last week in which he admitted he had been ‘living a lie’ and came out as gay publicly
Tommy Fleming(Image: Instagram)
Tommy Fleming received overwhelming support from his fans as he took to the stage for the first time since coming out as gay.
The singer admitted he had been “living a lie” throughout his life in an explosive interview with Ciara Kelly on Newstalk on Friday.
He came out as gay and opened up about battling with his mental health and self-medicating with drugs and alcohol.
His first show following the revelations took place in Newbridge on Saturday and he received a “standing ovation” from fans.
“Tommy walked out on stage and the place erupted. It was the most incredible audience,” said his manager Kathy Cullinan.
“Sometimes people know you need support and the crowd went the extra mile to support Tommy.”
Tommy opened up about his struggles with his sexuality last week after a private audio recording of a phone conversation with his wife Tina and stepdaughter Rebecca was leaked. Speaking to the Irish Sun, Kathy said that he knew he needed to address the situation ahead of the weekend.
“We knew that Tommy had to address the situation as it wasn’t going away and we were heading into the weekend,” she said.
“He was only going to do one interview about this subject and he was very fragile. Ciara Kelly is a qualified doctor, and we knew she would be sensitive rather than just looking for the story.
“Tommy had spent six months building himself back up and Ciara was fantastic. He was only going to do one interview about this. Because he knew he would be asked about it in every single interview he addressed it now.”
The leaked recording, which is being probed by Gardai, was recorded last November.
“I don’t know how it was leaked,” said Kathy. “This all happened last year and Tommy had never spoken about it. I don’t know what happened but that’s the timeline. It was leaked suddenly.”
Speaking to Ciara Kelly last week, Tommy said that he can now live his truth but he apologises to anyone he has hurt along the way.
“They’re all hurting at different levels in different ways,” he said of his family. “There’s anger, and I absolutely understand that anger. There’s regret. There’s a bucket full of words that you can use and emotions in here. The only thing I can say is, I’m absolutely remorseful and regretful for it, for any of the the hurt I’ve caused to the people I love in pursuing my truth or living my truth.
“I don’t seek forgiveness and I don’t expect it. But I would hope, if there is a God, I would hope and pray that there would be acceptance.”
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