'Nearly all people accepting' when coming out, says Panti Bliss

A number of celebrities have joined together to launch a new video to mark the LGBT "Coming Out Day".

The video features six people from across the country giving their younger selves advice about how to handle the fears and pressures of coming out to their family and friends.

They are encouraging people to send their own messages with the "heart2heart" hashtag on social media in the run-up to 'Coming Out Day' on Saturday.

Gay rights activist Rory O'Neill, best known as drag queen Panti Bliss, says people should not fear the reaction of their friends and family.

He said: "In nearly all cases people tend to be accepting about it, because they know you as a person, they don’t just know you as 'a gay'.

"Maybe some people take a bit longer to be totally comfortable with it but in general I would say people's fears of the reaction are much worse than the reality ever is."