Sam Fox finds it "hard" to say she is gay.
The 50-year-old former glamour model - who was left devastated when her long-term partner Myra Stratton died of cancer last year - admits she didn't like talking about her sexuality when she was younger because she feared she'd alienate her fans, but insists people "can't help" who they fall in love with.
She said: "I don't believe in labels. I guess for a long time I was a bit scared [to come out]. I did feel maybe, I've got male fans - and since being a singer I've got a lot of female fans too - but I was scared that I'd lose that fanbase."
Asked if she finds it hard to say 'I am gay', she added: "A little bit, because it is a label isn't it. I always believe in love, you can't help who you fall in love with, but I can't really see myself ever marrying a guy.
I love guys, I work with them all the time, they're in my band. They're in my business...
"I would say the fact I was with Myra for 16 years and now I'm in love again with a woman, I guess I would say I prefer to be with a woman, that's what I can say now."
And the buxom blonde admits she felt pressure to live up to her sexy image so as not to disappoint people.
Speaking on UK TV show 'Loose Women', she said: "I've always been a bit of a tomboy.
"I'd spend my time in sexy dresses and high-heeled shoes because I felt I had to live up to people's expectations of a sex symbol."
But one person who was never surprised about Sam's sexuality was her mother.
She laughed: "I spoke to my mum about it from a young age and she was really pleased that I'd found myself.
"When I told her she said, 'Sam I thought so because at Christmas you always used to ask for football boots and play with Action Men instead of Sindys.'"
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