Ricky Martin reveals that his father encouraged him to tell the world that he is gay

Efe New York

NY

Updated Friday, March 22, 2024-08:03

Puerto Rican singer

Ricky Martin

revealed this Thursday in a radio interview in the

United States

that his father encouraged him to tell the world that he was homosexual for the sake of his children, a confession he would make in 2010 and that he remembers with relief.

On host

Andy Cohen

's show on SiriusXM, Martin explained that his team told him that coming out would end his career, but his father,

Enrique

, encouraged him otherwise: "Especially when I became a father. He told me : What are you going to teach your children, to lie?"

Martin's father, who is a psychologist, recommended that he "be open" and offered to help him, to which the artist, somewhat overwhelmed, told him that he needed time to think about how to break the news, which finally was in a letter shared on their social networks.

The author of hits like 'Livin la vida loca', 52, who divorced the Syrian-Swedish artist

Jwan Yosef

in 2023 after six years of marriage and is the father of four children, said that sending that message was something "incredible" , and joked that he would like to do it more times.

Martin dodged speculation about his sexuality for years and said his professional team urged him to hide, telling him: "It's going to be the end of your career. You don't have to tell the world. Your friends and family know, why do you have to?" What to say in front of a camera?"