Ian Thorpe 'rejects white pill' in new photos from Mardi Gras
Photos have emerged of what appears to be Ian Thorpe being fed a 'white pill' at Sydney's Mardi Gras celebrations on Saturday night by a friend, and moving his face away to reject it.
It was the second time Thorpe has attended Mardi Gras since coming out as gay in 2014.
In the photographs published by the Daily Telegraph, the former swimmer can be seen hanging out with friends, including new partner model Ryan Channing, in Point Piper at around 6pm.
His friend takes what appears to be a small white tablet-shaped object and moves to place it in Thorpe's mouth.
Thorpe rejects the pill.
Thorpe's management vehemently denied the photos indicate he was doing anything wrong, the Telegraph reports.
A close friend of Ian Thorpe and Ryan Channing confirmed their coupling earlier in February.
“While it is early days in relationship terms, they are smitten with one another," the anonymous source told the Courier Mail.
Channing, who is also a law student, has been very open regarding his relationship with Thorpe, calling him his boyfriend to his friends.
Since talking openly about his sexuality, the former Olympian has struggled with dating.
He told Sunday Style, “I've never really dated, so I've come in being almost completely blindsided.”
Thorpe has been in the public’s eye since he achieved fame at 15-years-old and attributes his denial about his sexuality to the tremendous pressure from the media.
The 33-year-old said he was first asked about his sexuality when he was 16, and “struggled for a long time not wanting to be gay and hoping he wasn’t in some way”.
“I feel as though people were trying to force me out of the closet when I didn’t even know myself. I really didn’t, or at least I wasn’t sure.
“I felt like if I’d been given a little bit more time, perhaps I would have comfortably been able to do it... but I was just trying to fit in."
