Fia Tarrant talks coming out and finding love with girlfriend Izzy

20 June 2024, 12:29

Fia Tarrant celebrates Pride with her coming out journey

By Alice Dear

Fia Tarrant has opened up about the journey of discovering her true self, coming out to her family and finding love with her girlfriend.

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Fia Tarrant, 37, is marking Pride 2024 by sitting down with Heart to discuss how she first realised she was gay and the journey she has been on with her family and friends.

After splitting from her husband in 2020, who she shares son Haris with, the Heart presenter is now in a loving relationship with Izzy Lukec after they connected on social media.

In an emotional and enlightening conversation, Fia shares how she met her girlfriend, how she told her mum and dad she was gay and the heartwarming reaction she got from her son.

Listen to Heart's Pride Playlist now on Global Player, the official Heart app

You can watch the full interview in there player above, and read Fia's powerful words below.

Fia on telling her parents she was gay...

I know that I was very lucky, even though I was petrified of telling my parents, I deep down knew that it would be absolutely fine. It is just taking that initial leap saying something. I told my mum face-to-face and then dad - I thought he might want to kind of like sit back and like absorb it a bit more - so I wrote him a letter.

When I gave him a letter initially, two days went past and I was like: 'Oh my god, this is not how I thought it would be!' So I sent him a text [and I said]: 'Dad, have you read the letter?' [And he said] 'Oh no, was it important?' I didn't sleep for two days, I was there like: 'Oh my god, he's going to disown me, I've read this all wrong!'

Yeah, so if you write a letter, make sure that you tell them it's important, - that's probably the moral to this story.

On how she met girlfriend Izzy...

Oddly it was Instagram! I follow a lot of fitness things and peanut butter things - this sounds so stupid! She had a love for peanut butter, so it was just one of those things that we would message each other. It was completely innocent. Peanut butter is a staple in the household all the time. Luckily my son doesn't like it - which is great - because it means there's more for us.

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On realising her feelings for Izzy...

I don't think there was a light bulb moment per se - it was one of my friends that pointed out, [they said]: 'I think you've got an Insta-crush!' I was like: 'Oh my god, I think I do! Is this what it is?'

I'm definitely very fortunate to have the friends that I've got. Anybody that's kind of in their minds going: 'Am I? Aren't I? I'm a bit confused, I don't really understand my emotions right now, what's going on? Why am I thinking this?' They were all there, they were great. They all just said: 'Just go with it! See what happens, it might be a thing that - because I just got divorced - it might be a thing that you need to get out of your system.'

On the support of her friends...

My friend Nick, I speak to [him] about everything. Quite a few years ago I said: 'Nick, I've got something to tell you. I think I'm gay.' I think his reaction was: 'I know.'

Do you know what? A few people have said to me, it was a bit obvious. I think it must be the thumb ring. Or the way I walk, one of the two, but I'm not entirely sure.

On the importance of Pride...

I think something like Pride in particular, you don't have to be gay to go to a Pride event. It is just a celebration of life. People being there and, whether you're gay or an ally, it's just a celebration of love basically.

And I think it is important because it shows people that might not know that they are - or might find it hard knowing that - there are people that actually will have your back.

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On parenting...

I don't think coming out has made me different as a parent. I had a conversation with him, at the time he was only eight so it's one of those weird conversations: how do you talk to an eight-year-old about something like this? His kind of thing is: well, if you love somebody, you love them! I think that is what is so brilliant about kids - they take everything on face value and they just don't care as long as people are happy.

They don't care whether you're gay, straight, the colour of your skin, where you're from, anything like that. They just don't see that and they see through it. I think that is pretty incredible.

That is the single most important thing in my mind as a parent, that I want him to be able to talk about anything and not worry about coming to me and talking to me about stuff. I think when you've got that panic in you as a child, it will refrain you from doing something or talking about something. And to talk, I think, is the most important thing you can do.