Adam Beales, known as Adam B on YouTube, says he felt the “best I’ve felt in my entire life” since coming out as gay. (YouTube/Adam B)
Adam B, a popular children’s TV presenter from Northern Ireland and YouTuber, has come out as gay in a heartfelt and “vulnerable” video.
The YouTuber – whose real name is Adam Beales – is known for his work as a former co-presenter on CBBC’s popular Blue Peter programme. He also worked on the British children’s panel show The Dog Ate My Homework.
The Derry native opened up about his coming out journey in a nine-minute long video shared with his 3.42 million YouTube subscribers on Friday (22 July). Beales started the video by saying he’s gay, while waving a progressive Pride flag, and admitted it was something he “meant to tell” fans “for a long time”.
He praised his family – who joined him in the video – for being so supportive and described how it was the “best feeling ever” that “nothing changed” after he came out to his family.
“That’s the best feeling ever – being able to love life, to wake up in the morning and feel like nothing at all has happened. It was the best,” Beales said.
He explained that he wanted to create the video to show others his coming out journey to hopefully inspire others to live as their authentic selves.
“Outside of this, the important message is just to open up and talk about whatever’s on your mind,” he said. “This is about anything – anything that you feel like you’re worried about or anything that you want to speak about – just open up.”
He continued: “Because opening up to these guys was the best thing ever. Honestly, I was instantly a hundred times, a million times better when I told them.”
Beales also shared that he has a boyfriend, and his mum joked she is “stuck with another boy” as there are “boys everywhere” in the family. He felt “excited” to be able to share “so much more” of his life with fans.
“Being able to share it in such a way that I’m not scared anymore and in such a way that I’m happy to share it and I’m proud to share it,” he added.
Adam B explained he “started to notice things” when he moved out to Manchester to work on Blue Peter, where he was a presenter on the series for two years. Beales shared clips of the moment he came out to the Blue Peter team on his final day on 15 July.
He teared up as he spoke to the cast and crew about the impact they had on his life, making “friendships for life” with some of them.
“One big thing I’ve been working on recently is just being more me and being more happy, and I just wanna let you guys know that you let me open up and be more myself,” Beales said. “And I’d just like to let you know I’m gay.”
The heartfelt moment was met with loud applause and cheese as some rushed to hug the visibly emotional Beales.
Later in the video, Beales admitted he didn’t know what his followers “are going to think” or “going to say”. But he said he wouldn’t have come out publicly if he was “still living in fear”.
“Love should never mean having to live in fear,” he said. “This is the most vulnerable I’ve felt in a really, really long time, and you know what, it’s the best I’ve felt in my entire life.”
Adam B described how the “weight” of hiding his authentic self has “finally been lifted”, and he can “finally breathe”. Beales added he is “happy now” and included a clip of him sharing a sweet kiss with another man, presumably his boyfriend.