Glee Star Charice Comes Out As Lesbian

Glee star Charice Pempengco has come out as a lesbian.

The 21-year-old Filipina-born singer - who plays Sunshine Corazon in the hit TV show - decided to share the news in an interview with ABS-CBN's The Buzz.

She said: "Yes, I am a lesbian. But to those who can accept me, thank you very much. We are all equal, whether you are gay or straight."

Admitting that she had become estranged from her family, Charice later released a video thanking fans for their support.

In it she said: "I just wanna say thank you, personally... to all the people supporting me, to all the people who are still there for me.

"Honestly, I'm very, very happy. I can't explain how happy I am right now hearing all [these] positive things."