‘Dancing On Ice’ professional Matt Evers has explained his motivation to come out as gay, following the rise of President Donald Trump.

Matt, who was born and raised in Minnesota, appeared on all nine series of the original run of ‘Dancing On Ice’, during which time he was partnered with contestants including Pamela Anderson, Jorgie Porter and Denise Welch.

In an interview in the new issue of Attitude magazine, Matt has revealed that he is gay, explaining that the current political climate influenced his decision.

He said: “Donald Trump has given a voice to the bullies. Trump himself is a bully and I’m very outspoken about that.

“I live my life by example, and I want to show young people that what you feel or how you were born isn’t something bad.”

Matt also shared the story of his late uncle, who was “banished” from his religious family because they disapproved of his lifestyle.

“I didn’t know I was gay at the time,” Matt revealed “But when he was dying it hit me really hard that he didn’t know the love of his mum, my grandmother.

“They were strict Catholics at the tip of the Bible belt. I wasn’t aware of why his passing and the thought of him never being accepted by his own family hurt me so much until I realised I was gay. It’s scary, the difference between generations.”

‘Dancing On Ice’ returns for a new series on Sunday (7 January), with Matt back on the ice once again.

This time around, he’s partnered with former ‘Great British Bake Off’ winner Candice Brown.

Read Matt’s full interview in the new issue of Attitude magazine, on sale now.