Gay 90s pop star ‘sacrificed’ sex life while in the closet: ‘I was a virgin until I was almost 20’

90s pop star Anthony Kavanagh aka Kavana has discussed sacrificing his sex life at the height of his career.

The “I Can Make You Feel Good” singer debuted on the pop scene with 1997’s Kavana. This was then followed up two years later with 1999’s Instinct, which enjoyed platinum success in Asia.

After time in Los Angeles he returned to the UK where he took part in shows like Hollyoaks: In the City, The Voice, and Celebrity Big Brother.

In 2014, aged 36, Kavana came out publicly as gay, as reported by The Mirror.

Speaking to Attitude, Kavana reflect on the pressure he felt to hide his sexuality at the height of his pop fame, saying he felt “lucky” to be rising high in the music industry.

“I was willing to sacrifice not having a sex life as such. I wasn’t allowed to be openly gay,” he recalled. “In fact, I was pretty terrified of anyone finding out.

The “Special Kind of Something” singer told the publication that hiding his sexuality “halted” the development of his gay identity. When he came out in 2014 he told Now magazine that he only felt able to explore his sexuality after moving to America at 22.

“I was actually a virgin until I was almost 20!” he told Attitude. “It was just impossible to experiment, as I was either away on tour playing the straight pop star role or going to the odd gay nightclub once in a blue moon with a baseball cap on.”

Kavana also said that discovering drink and drugs “filled the gap of any real connection with someone.” As for one night stands Kavana said, “I was terrified of having a one night stand in case the person sold a story on me.”

Of his memoir, Pop Scars, the nineties pin-up described the volume as “an addiction memoir.” He went on to say, “I want people to read it and know they are not alone if they are struggling or have been through something similar.”

Pop Scars by Anthony Kavanagh is out now.