Cheryl 'glad Joe McElderry came out'

Joe McElderry has revealed that Cheryl Cole sent him a supportive text message when he announced that he was gay.

McElderry, who came out in July, said that he appreciated his former mentor's gesture - particularly since she was still getting over her battle with malaria at the time.

He told X Magazine: "She had a lot of her own stuff going on, so it wasn't really appropriate for me to just phone her up and go, 'Guess what Cheryl?'

"But she was fine. She texted me and said, 'I'm glad you've managed to get it out.' And she's always been there whenever I've needed to talk to her or discuss anything. She was great."

McElderry - who admitted that he lost the text message when he accidentally dropped his phone down the toilet - said that his mother was equally encouraging when he told her about his sexuality.

The 19-year-old added: "It was about a week before I told the press and we were on the train and I said, 'I've got something to tell you,' and she was like, 'Oh, all right then,' and then I told her, and she was fine."

McElderry releases his next single 'Ambitions' on October 11, followed by his debut album Wide Awake on October 25.

The latest edition of X Magazine goes on sale today.

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