Luke Evans been 'through a lot' with his religious family after coming out as gay

Luke Evans has been "through a lot" with his religious family after coming out as gay.

The 45-year-old actor was raised as a Jehovah's Witness but formally left the religion as a teenager so he could pursue a career in performing and explained that "respect and understanding" have been key to maintaining a relationship with his family, especially when it comes to his sexuality.

Speaking on UK TV show 'Lorraine', he said: "I just realised I had a different life to lead. I was brought up in a religious, very religious, family. I'm very close to my mum and dad but the way they were living their life and what I wanted to do with my life were very, very different.

"At 16, I made the decision to leave home and start again almost. I sort of lost all connections to my friends who were all [Jehovah’s] Witnesses and started another life.

"You can't be gay. [My mum and dad] are incredible human beings, we have been through a lot together. What it has taken is a lot of respect, a lot of love, a lot of time, understanding, a lot of talking and respecting each other's journeys and choices we have made. I'm happy that they're happy, and they're happy that I'm happy. That's all that matters."