Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Channel 4 and Stonewall team up for 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day

Anna Richardson (PA)
Anna Richardson (PA)

TV presenter Anna Richardson, Made In Chelsea’s Ollie Locke and stylist Gok Wan are among the celebrities appearing on Channel 4 to mark the 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day.

The broadcaster has teamed up with Stonewall to celebrate the day on October 11.

It will see celebrities and influential figures take over the continuity announcements to celebrate coming out as LGBTQ.

The announcements will play out throughout the day, providing links between programmes on Channel 4, E4 and More4.

Made In Chelsea star Ollie Locke at an event
Made In Chelsea star Ollie Locke (PA)

The line-up of special guests also includes the CEO of Stonewall, Ruth Hunt, journalist Paris Lees, Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts, comedian Suzi Ruffell, presenter and author June Sarpong and Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

As they take over the Channel 4’s continuity announcer’s mic, each guest will offer their support to those who have revealed or are struggling to reveal their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. 

Some will also share their own experiences of coming out.

Naked Attraction host Richardson thanks her friends and family for their support when she announced that she had fallen in love with another woman. 

Locke recalls coming out on his hit show, while Hunt reveals she came out in 1993 after watching the episode of Brookside that featured the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British television.

The announcements will begin from approximately 10.10am.

Angus Wyatt, commercial development manager and chair of 4Pride (Channel 4’s LGBT+ staff network), said: “We often hear from people who have been inspired and helped by Channel 4 programmes to make the difficult and courageous decision to come out to their loved ones.

“National Coming Out Day is not about forcing people to come out, it is about showing people who may be questioning their sexuality or gender identity that there are so many of us who have made that step, and for whom it has got better.

“We are incredibly proud to have worked with Stonewall and our special guests to once again celebrate diversity and support those coming out as LGBTQ.”

Gok Wan  on the red carpet
Gok Wan (PA)

Stonewall UK’s director of communications Lucy Abell said: “We’re thrilled to have worked with Channel 4 to mark National Coming Out Day through the voices of a diverse range of LGBT people and allies.

“We hope these inspiring stories remind people there is no right or wrong way to come out and that – crucially – it should only happen when a person feels ready. These stories show how far we have come, but also how much more there is still to do until all lesbian, gay, bi and trans people are accepted without exception.”