Kelly Holmes feared being imprisoned for being gay while in the army

‘I was scared witless’: Dame Kelly Holmes feared being jailed for being gay while in the British Armed Forces – a decade before homosexuality ban was lifted

Gay and lesbian citizens have been only been allowed to serve openly in the Her Majesty’s Armed Forces since 2000

Dame Kelly Holmes has revealed her worry about being sent to jail for being gay while serving in the British Army.

Then former Olympic athlete, 52, who came out as gay in June, was joined by her panel on Loose Women on Monday as she opened up about her time as a sergeant in the British Army.

Since it was illegal for members of the community to serve until 2000, many subsequently struggled with homelessness, unemployment and mental health issues while being forced to come out to their family.

Worry: Dame Kelly Holmes has revealed her worry about being sent to jail for being gay while serving in the British Army (pictured on Loose Women in September)

She explained that many veterans have had a ‘humiliating’ experience being interrogated if any accusation of homosexual acts were put forward.

Kelly told the other Loose Women on Monday: ‘It affected me throughout my whole life, because when I joined forces when I was 18 you’re told this law and I went through an experience like many veterans have that’s absolutely humiliating.

‘Your rooms got ransacked and interrogated if there was any hint of it.

‘There’s 1000s that were affected, many veterans that were assumed or were homosexual, they were court martialled, jailed and kicked out.

‘People lost family members and so much more.

Tragic: The former Olympic athlete, 52, who came out as gay in June, explained that many veterans have had a ‘humiliating’ time getting interrogated for being gay (pictured in 1995)

‘I was ransacked and had the interrogation. If I was caught, even an insinuation I could’ve been stripped of everything.

‘I wouldn’t have become a double Olympic champion or member of British service.

‘I was scared witless, and when I came out I had to resolve these issues. I was scared I could still go to jail.

‘People that have serves have lived with this in their DNA for so long. I’m finally free, but it took many years.’

She is now urging ex soldiers to give proof to an independent probe into the scandal, which left queer servicemen and women stripped of their honours, military pensions, discharged and even jailed.

Opening up: Kelly (pictured second left on Monday) said on she ‘wouldn’t have become a double Olympic champion or member of British service’ if she was found to be gay

She first realised she was a lesbian when she kissed another woman in the army back in 1988.

She told the Sunday Mirror: ‘It was illegal to be gay in the army. The risk, if you were caught, was to be arrested, court-martialled, thrown out, sometimes jailed.

‘I had wanted to be in the armed forces since I was 14 and was desperate to stay in, so couldn’t let them know. But it was really hard because it consumed my life with fear.’

Approximately 500 people have already given testimonies to the independent review, which was approved cross-party in the 2021 Armed Forces Bill and is led by Lord Etherton, ahead of its November 15 deadline.

Kelly, who lived in fear of being exposed after joining the British Army at the age of 18, also told the publication: ‘This review needs to be as strong as possible so it can force the Government to do something.

‘For some people, just acknowledgment that they have been impacted could be enough. But others will need support.’

The Honorary Colonel of the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment is also calling on the Prime Minister to make an apology on behalf of the State, however will settle for ‘a notable national figure’.

Army: Kelly said she lived in fear of being exposed after joining the British Army at the age of 18 (pictured at Trooping the Colour)

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