Luke Evans came out as gay to Gemma Arterton and she "had his back" when he felt under pressure to keep his personal life secret

In his book 'Boy from the Valleys: An Unexpected Journey', Luke wrote: "When I started working in movies, it suddenly became an issue again because at that time you just didn't get openly gay actors playing straight romantic leads ...

"[My] sexuality became a 'thing' to be handled and strategised, rather than simply being just another aspect of my identity, like having green eyes or being Welsh."

He admitted when Lee came to visit during filming he introduced him as his "friend" but he later told the truth to Gemma.

Luke added: "Our bedrooms were next to each other in our hotel and when I confessed that Lee was actually my boyfriend she said with a smile: 'Honey, I'm in the room next door - I know!'

"It was such a relief to be able to be open with her and know that she had my back regardless, because she knew how the industry worked and the pressure I was under. The big American studios were still very much of the 'a man is a man' mindset."

It comes after Luke admitted moving to London as a teenager after growing up in Wales helped him feel more "free" as a gay man because he relished the anonymity that comes with living in a big city.

Speaking to The Independent, Luke shared: "You could almost disappear. "That's the reason London appealed to me when I was a young man. You want to find your community, and often where [gay people] are brought up, there isn't one, or there's shame, or there's secrets.

"To feel free, and to feel part of something, you go to a big city where you'll find people like you. It's what gay people have done for decades and will keep on doing. Though I do hope that these smaller villages and cities are a bit more accepting now."