Dannii Minogue ‘fights back tears’ revealing she identifies as queer

Dannii Minogue attends the "I Kissed A Girl" Photocall at Charlotte Street Hotel on May 1 in London. Photo / Getty Images

Dannii Minogue has declared she “identifies as queer”.

The 52-year-old Australian pop star-turned-TV-presenter has opened up about her sexual identity and revealed she learned a lot hosting new lesbian dating show I Kissed A Girl - a spin-off from the BBC’s 2023 series I Kissed A Boy.

According to The Sun newspaper, she said: “There is a curiosity whether you are lesbian or not. People will be tuning in to [I Kissed A Girl] because they are curious, interested. They are questioning themselves.

“Or they might be thinking about a friend. There are a million reasons why it’s important.”

Danni added of herself: “I identify as queer in a weird way... you girls are hot, you know it. It was an education for me watching the show, especially the lingo and all the terms.”

The singer - who is dating producer Adrian Newman - was previously married to actor Julian McMahon and was engaged to Formula 1 star Jacques Villeneuve and former Bros member Craig Logan, while she also has a 13-year-old son son, Ethan, from a relationship with rugby player Kris Smith.

Kylie and Dannii Minogue, right, sing 100 Degrees together on the finale of The X Factor Australia.

The This Is It hitmaker recently insisted she doesn’t view herself as a “gay icon”.

She told the BBC: “I’ve heard Cher say ‘you don’t wake up thinking you’re a gay icon.’ You don’t think about yourself like that.”

Dannii launched her debut album in the early 1990s, and she admits that the social landscape was very different at the time.

She explained: “It was drilled into [artists] by record companies and management that you can’t be gay, that will ruin your career.”

Dannii has been amazed by the support she’s received from the gay community over the years.

Asked when she first noticed that she had a lot of gay fans, Dannii replied: “It’s when people come up and start recounting stories. ‘I met my partner when your song was playing in the club’ or ‘this album was the soundtrack to me getting through difficult times.’ It’s also spending time over the years being involved with people in the community and charities and stuff.

“You start to feel accepted by the community, which feels amazing.”