‘It was love at first sight’ Tom Daley opens up about his relationship for the first time

Speaking during an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show, the 19-year old Olympic diver revealed it was ‘love at first sight’ when he met his boyfriend.

Tom declined identify his new lover – rumoured to be 39 year-old American screenwriter, Dustin Lance Black – but revealed that it was him that made the first move.

Speaking about the meeting, Tom said: 'I’d never felt like anything like it before. We were at a party and I hadn’t even spoken to him all night. I didn’t know what to do or if he was gay at first.'

But the sportsman soon overcame his nerves to make his move: 'I typed "call me" in his notes with a smiley face on this phone and the next day he texted.

‘He makes me feel safe and happy, right now I couldn’t be happier,’ Tom added.

Gushing about the relationship on the show – which will air on Saturday – Tom said: 'I’d never felt the feeling of love, it happened so quickly, I was completely overwhelmed by it to the point I can’t get him out of my head all the time. I’ve never had it before where I love someone and they love me just as much.'

Neither Tom or Dustin have confirmed or denied their relationship, but a UK newspaper claims they met at a London hotel in the springtime.

The alleged ‘couple’ were then spotted grabbing coffee together in October in Los Angeles, where the writer lives.

Asked why he hasn't identified his new man, Tom said: 'At the moment, I wouldn’t like anything to change.

'I hope it doesn’t get ruined by the media attention, everyone has been so supportive and I hope it continues that way.'

Talking about the difficulty of coming out, the sporting hero told Jonathan Ross he had felt his sexuality was 'like a dirty little secret' that made him feel 'alone and trapped.’

He said: 'I felt like there was something wrong with me, I didn’t know other people out there felt that way, I felt so alone, so locked away and couldn’t say anything.

And of announcing the news via YouTube, Tom said: 'It was a terrifying decision to make, I didn’t know what the reaction was going to be like, I didn’t know how it was going to go but I felt I needed to say something.

'I wanted to say something in my own words and from the heart, I didn’t know what else to do.'

'Now that everyone knows, I have nothing to hide, those chains that I felt wrapped around me are gone and I can carry on with my life as normal and be happy.'

He continued: ‘Now that it’s all happened they couldn’t be happier, the support of the public has been an added bonus, it makes me smile to think about it - my life at the moment is perfect.'

But Tom seemed reluctant to label his sexuality just yet: 'Everything is all pretty new so I don’t see any point in putting a label on it - gay, bi, straight, any of those kind of labels.

'All that I feel happy about at the moment is that I’m dating a guy and couldn’t be happier, it shouldn’t matter who I’m dating and I hope people can be happy for me.'

Tom also offered advice to other young people who are struggling to come to terms with their sexuality, saying them advice by saying: 'Tell one person. Tell your story, how you feel.

‘I’ve had people send some lovely Twitter messages with people telling me they’ve since come out to their parents, that they’ve had some hope, it shouldn’t matter who I’m dating in this day and age. Be who you want to be.'

The Jonathan Ross Show airs on ITV1 on Saturday night and will also feature Jack Dee, Olivia Colman, Ellie Goulding and Professor Brian Cox.