Nicola Adams is the first female boxer to win an Olympic gold medal and has received an MBE for her services to boxing, She is Great Britain’s most decorated boxer.

Last week she spoke to Marie Claire and opened up about her upbringing, ruthless ambition and sexuality.

“[One] label that has been attached to me is “bisexual”, although I would rather be just a person and not be categorised. …

I have never tried to hide my sexuality, but I have never spoken about it before in the press, either, because I didn’t want it to overshadow everything else. It is an important aspect of who I am, but it doesn’t define me.

I worried about how everyone would react, so I used to say I was single, rather than say I was with a girl. I felt like I was lying all the time. I didn’t like living like that so, in the end, I thought, ‘Well, this is who I am. It’s not as if I can stop it.’
Nicola Adams

‘The most important thing is to be honest about yourself. Secrets weigh heavy and it’s when you try to keep everything to yourself that it becomes a burden. You waste energy agonising when you could be living your life and realising your dreams.’

Nicola Adams