Ricky Martin has revealed he is gay.

The 38-year-old singer has previously alluded to being bisexual, but finally revealed on his website yesterday (29.03.10) he is gay, saying he is "proud" of who he is.

Ricky also revealed the birth of his twin boys Matteo and Valentino in August 2008 - who he had through a surrogate - convinced him to admit his sexuality.

He said: "To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids were born with. Enough is enough. This has to change.

"This was not supposed to happen five or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment."

The Puerto Rican star also insisted he is not worried about people's reaction to his announcement. He said: "What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word 'happiness' takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process."

The 'She Bangs' singer also revealed people had tried to stop him from coming out, saying it would destroy his career.

He revealed: "Many people told me, 'Ricky it's not important', 'it's not worth it', 'all the years you've worked and everything you've built will collapse.'

"Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth. "Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions."