George Montague, who has three adult children with his ex-wife, last month marched at Brighton - UK's biggest pride parade, carrying a sign that read 'the oldest gay in the village'.
He says that he lived with the fear of disappointing his family, which kept him in the closet for most of his adult life.
The 96-year-old World War II veteran opened up about the challenges of coming out as gay in his 60s.
“My mother kept asking me to get married and give her grandchildren as I was 35 at the time, she said she would rather not know if I was swinging the other way," he revealed in .
“My ex-wife, Vera, knew I was gay before we married but she said she would rather have a gay man than no man at all.
“I played the part and had three beautiful children with Vera, but nobody else knew anything about how I really felt."
However, now the veteran is living loud and proud as an openly gay man, "blissfully in love" with his husband, who he married in 2006 after coming out in his 60s.
“Now, I’m married to a wonderful man and our lives have been full of love since we first met each other in 1997" he said, adding that he wants to continue the fight for LGBTIQ+ equality.
“I’ll campaign for as long as I live, I love my life, I love who I am and I love my wonderful husband,” he told The Mirror.
“I tell everyone I meet that I’m gay, I want everyone to know,” he continued. “When you spend so much of life hiding who you are and finally open yourself up it becomes addictive.
“It must be accepted by everyone because nobody should be made to feel that they can’t love someone of the same sex.
