Colton Haynes officially comes out as gay

Teen Wolf and Arrow actor Colton Haynes ended speculation about his sexuality by officially coming out as gay.

In a candid interview with EW, Haynes talked about the pressures of putting on a public face and why battles with anxiety demanded that he step back from his career and get help.

Haynes, 27, lit the rumor mill on fire in January when he reblogged a Tumblr post that read, “when I found out colton haynes had a secret gay past i got so excited even though i know it makes absolutely no difference in my life.” He replied writing, “Was it a secret? Let’s all just enjoy life & have no regrets 🙂 ”

Haynes left it at that and received a lot of backlash for not making an official statement at the time.

“I should have made a comment or a statement, but I just wasn’t ready. I didn’t feel like I owed anyone anything. I think in due time, everyone has to make those decisions when they’re ready, and I wasn’t yet. But I felt like I was letting people down by not coming forward with the rest of what I should have said.”

Colton was dealing with severe anxiety and checked himself into rehab. He stepped away from his popular role on Arrow in the process.  “I asked to step away because I cared more about my mental and physical health than my career at the time. I’ve had terminal anxiety my entire life. Physically ill, fainting. I’m 27 years old, and I have an ulcer. I had to step back,” he said.

Haynes added that he’s excited about whatever the next chapter in his life brings. “It took me so long to get to this point, but I’m doing so good,” he said. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and healthier than I’ve ever been, and that’s what I care about.”