Wrexham star Ollie Palmer has bravely revealed his dad, who is a former protection officer for the Royal Family, is gay.
The 31-year-old, who joined the Red Dragons in January 2022, spoke earnestly about his family on a recent episode of Welcome to Wrexham. He said his parents split up when he was a child, and a few months later his father Andy revealed to the family that he was homosexual.
Ollie's mum Sue said she was "very happily married" to Andy, and assumed he was leaving her for another woman when they split it out of the blue. "I thought we had a great marriage," she said. "We had three wonderful children and I was very confident about the future. But then Andy left. I was devastated. It blew my world apart."
READ MORE: Why Wrexham star James McClean and other footballers refuse to wear poppy on their kits
READ MORE: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney suffer Wrexham blow after local council decision
"It was a very difficult time for me personally," Andy said. "How do I go about telling my three children, who I love to bits, that daddy isn't going to be around anymore."
"That was like a really f***ing hard day," Ollie said speaking about the day his dad moved out. "[I remember] my mum and dad arguing. That's what I really remember. Just sitting in the study and hearing them all arguing in the dining room. And then we were all crying."
Sum up Ollie Palmer in one word in the comments section below.
Thankfully, Ollie and his parents are closer than ever, and after signing for Wrexham and introducing his dad, and his dad's boyfriend, to owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, he found out that his family situation wasn't all that unique.
McElhenney's mother and father split up when he was a child too, and his mum went on to marry another woman later in life. "I'm in the same position as Ollie," the Hollywood star said.
TNT is the only place you can watch all the action from the Champions League this year. You can see every game from the group stage right through to the final as Manchester City look to defend their crown as the newest kings of the World's biggest and best football tournament.
ยฃ29.99 a month
"My parents got divorced when I was eight or nine. And as adults we can both look back on our parents and recognise how much courage that it took for them to do exactly what they did."
Palmer, 31, has had something of a journeyman's career. He started out at Woking and later played for Havant & Waterlooville, Mansfield Town, Leyton Orient, Lincoln City, Crawley Town and AFC Wimbledon. Since joining Wrexham he's scored 37 goals in 91 games.
His father Andy spent the bulk of his royal security career working as Prince (now King) Charles' personal protection officer. The two met up for the first time years when his Royal Highness visited Wrexham's Racecourse Ground in 2022.
Source: Read Full Article