Will Young has revealed how he once endured a sickening street attack by a group of men who threatened to stab him.
The Pop Idol winner, 42, opened up about the fear he felt when a gang threatened to stab him as he tried to help a busker in Oxford.
The men had targeted the busker and Will intervened because he "felt sorry for" him.
However, things soon turned nasty and Will was turned on for the way he was dressed.
Speaking to The Sun, the singer described how three men were troubling a harpist when he stepped in and took the brunt of their abuse because of his "floaty number" clothing.
He revealed that he tried to draw attention to the abuse by shouting out loud.
He said: "I shouted at the top of my voice, 'These boys are threatening me, they were threatening to stab me, they were threatening to' - in fact I won't use the language because it might offend some people."
And the Evergreen singer joyfully admitted that several bystanders responded to his shouting in a bid to help him.
Will went on to candidly admit that he didn't think he'd live past the age of 20 because of homophobia and the feeling of shame he held due to his sexuality.
He spoke to Robert Rinder during a Penguin Live talk about how parents and adults sexualise the issue and put it onto the children.
"This is why there's a problem in school," he said. "Not only did I think I was sinful, I also thought I was doomed to die.
"I honestly thought I was doomed to die, I never thought I'd live past 20."
Will, who first came out months after he won Pop Idol in 2002, opened up about gay shaming last year in his autobiography.
The Leave Right Now singer revealed how he was left 'aghast' when former Radio 1 Breakfast host Chris Moyles poked fun at his homosexuality live on air.
DJ Chris changed the lyrics to Will's songs to spoof the fact that he was gay while putting on an effeminate voice.
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