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Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh: 'I never wanted to hide the fact I was gay'

She shocked the country when she revealed she was gay, just days after winning the Rose of Tralee.

But Maria Walsh has said she would have admitted her sexuality during the competition if someone had asked.

The Mayo beauty revealed she never wanted to hide the fact she was gay.

“I wasn’t asked no. Nobody knew. Honestly whole-heartedly I wasn’t expecting to win, so to me it was never going to potentially come out, not that I wanted to hide it,” she said.

“I would have openly said it. It was very much about me as a character, Philadelphia, my cousin Teresa which is what I wanted to take stage.”

Philadelphia Rose - Maria Walsh

Open: Maria said she never hid her sexuality

“I do understand the interest and curiosity and I support it to a certain extent. Of course I do (want to be a role model to gay women). ”

Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show Maria, 27,  admitted coming out “caused a little bit of a scandal” but said she was happy to speak about her sexuality.

“The story brought across a real truth and a real warmth to it. I’m very transparent.”

“If I could help one person for that article being in the newspaper, if I could even help one person come out and deal with it in a positive way then my year as the Rose of Tralee will already have been completed,” she said.

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Speaking out: Maria went on the Late Late Show

Maria revealed she has been “openly gay” for two years and that her friends and family “welcome it and support it.”

Speaking about the moment she realised she was gay Maria said she knew when she met her first girlfriend.

“I walked into a room one night after training we were having a team dinner, she was there and for whatever reason I decided I wanted to be with her and we made it work.”

“We’re no longer together. But she came to the dome for the Rose of Tralee, she sat with my family and friends,” she said.

“You spend two years with somebody so she’s one of my best friends,” she said.

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Honest: Maria opened up about her sexuality on the show

“From my parents point of view they asked how is my career going to be affected can I get married and have children,” she added.

But Maria’s father said he couldn’t be more proud of the pageant queen.

“It was a bit of a shock. I hugged her for about 10 or 15 minutes. I was very happy and very proud of her that she came straight out and told me,” he said.

“I’m so proud of Maria for all of the things she has done.”

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