GEORGE MICHAEL - MICHAEL: 'I LOST MY NERVE TO COME OUT IN THE 80S'

Gay pop star GEORGE MICHAEL "lost his nerve" to come out in the 1980s because he didn't want to jeopardise his success in America. The Careless Whisper hitmaker wowed the world with the band Wham!, and feared if he admitted he was homosexual it would prove disastrous to his career. He admits, "I lost my nerve. I wanted to come out but I didn't realise how successful we were going to be. I think that's understandable. "I was nearly 20 and we were the biggest band in Europe, and within two years the biggest pop band in America. "If your goal is to become the biggest-selling artist in America, you're not going to make life difficult for yourself, are you?"