Dame Kelly Holmes gets emotional as she discusses horrific army ‘witch hunt’ during LGBT ban that left her with ‘mental health issues’

Dame Kelly Holmes got emotional during Friday’s Loose Women as she discussed the horrific British Army ‘witch hunt’ during the LGBT+ ban. 

The former Olympic athlete, 53, who came out as gay in June last year, recalled how the ‘petrifying’ experience left her suffering from ‘mental health issues.’

It was illegal for members of the LGBT+ community to serve in the military until 2000, many personal subsequently struggled with homelessness, unemployment and were forced to come out to their family.

Speaking on the ITV show, Dame Kelly explained: ‘A lot of people didn’t know they were gay when they joined. 

‘During that time there was a witch hunt, they were purposely trying to find people that they thought were gay.’

The Honorary Colonel of the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment lived in fear of being exposed after joining the British Army at the age of 18. 

‘I was raided. The Royal Military Police would come into my bedroom and ransack it completely, I was scared. I was 23. I was petrified. I didn’t want to lose my career,’ she continued. 

‘I had to hide letters from my sister and my friends in the boot of my car incase they accused me of being gay.’

‘It caused me mental health issues throughout my whole career because I was so petrified. The shame of being gay was institutionally driven into me. I realised I was gay when I joined, that’s why I didn’t come out until last year.’

Dame Kelly added: ‘People were thrown in jail, raped, they has long service medals ripped away from them. 

‘People were on the frontline risking their lives and protecting the country and were then stripped of their pensions and their careers, when it wasn’t illegal at the time to be gay.’

Last year, Dame Kelly called on LGBTQ+ veterans whose lives were ruined under the Forces’ ban on homosexuality to provide evidence.

She urged ex soldiers to give proof to an independent probe into the scandal, which left queer servicemen and women stripped of their honours, military pensions, discharged and even jailed. 

Awful: The former Olympic athlete, who came out as gay in June last year, recalled how the ‘petrifying’ experience left her suffering from ‘mental health issues (pictured in 1995)

Upsetting: Speaking on the ITV show, Dame Kelly explained: ‘A lot of people didn’t know they were gay when they joined and during that time there was a witch hunt’

Approximately 500 people had already given testimonies to the independent review, which was approved cross-party in the 2021 Armed Forces Bill and is led by Lord Etherton, in October, ahead of its November 15 deadline.

She also called on the Prime Minister to make an apology on behalf of the State, however will settle for ‘a notable national figure’, which she received this month. 

Kelly also appealed for the return of soldiers’ medals that have been taken away and wants a formal compensation programme to be established in her campaign, which she is working on in conjunction with Fighting With Pride. 

The athlete, who won the 800m and 1,500m titles at the 2004 Olympic games, spoke openly about her sexuality for the first time in June as she declared that she ‘finally feels free’ after years of living a ‘secret’ life.

Free: Kelly, who lived in fear of being exposed after joining the British Army at the age of 18, recently called on the Prime Minister to make an apology on behalf of the State (pictured in 2004)