Reality star Freddie Bentley has revealed that he has been left too scared to leave home after being the subject of a homophobic attack.
The 24-year-old was a member of the cast of the first series of Channel 4’s reality show The Circle, shooting to fame in the process and coming out on national television.
And while reaction to Freddie was warm when he featured on the reality show back in 2018, he was recently the subject of a homophobic attack.
Freddie says he has been left so shaken by the incident that it leaves him feeling afraid to leave his home – while his anxiety levels have increased dramatically.
Speaking on FUBAR Radio’s Access All Areas show, he told show hosts Bobby Norris and Stephen Leng: “The way I carry myself, even the way I have been nervous.
“I haven’t really left the house a great deal because it has scared the s**t out of me.”
Opening up about the incident, Freddie shared his dismay over the fact that he was the one who was arrested following the incident at a pub in Essex last month after three men allegedly three homophobic slurs at him.
He explained: “I was actually the victim, but they got away with using a homophobic slur which infuriated me even more. The police then got involved and I was the one who was arrested.”
Although he was arrested for common assault, charges against him were eventually dropped after CCTV from the scene of the incident was inspected.
Freddie explained: “My side has been cleared but that side, with the boys, is still happening with the police.”
He continued: “I am gonna press charges and I am gonna make a deal of this because if I don’t act on this, then who else is gonna do it?
“Obviously I can’t speak about it too much but all I’ve been aware of is that they have been arrested and [the police] are not taking it lightly.”
Freddie also admitted he was surprised at the impact the event has had on him: “I think more so than ever it’s been the biggest wake up call for me.
“It has caused me a little bit of anxiety because I’ve never been started on for my sexuality.
“Obviously, I’ve had people shout things in the street or doing this and that, but I’ve never been attacked for my sexuality, so it did knock me for six.”
Freddie went on to explain that the fact people would so confidently throw homophobic insults at him acted as something of a rude awakening to the dangers of inequality in the present day UK.
He said: “Obviously I know that homophobic behaviour does happen, and you get the odd thing on Instagram, you know how it is.
“But to have it in person, I thought to myself, ‘you have got so much nerve to think that you can bring me down as a person for something that I am.’”
He added: “The thing that does make me nervously laugh is the fact that it’s actually 2022 and people aren’t secure in themselves enough that they have to try and drag other people down because of their sexuality.”
However, he went on to state that he wouldn’t let such an uncomfortable incident change him and that he wants to stand up for the LGBTQ+ community.
He said: “I’m gonna make something useful out of it and you know, try and turn this negative into a positive.”
“I am proud and I’m gay and I love helping the younger generation with their sexuality and coming out.”
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