Aussie Pop Star Anthony Callea Outed

Aussie hottie and former Australian Idol runner-up Anthony Callea was accidentally outed during an on-air conversation on a Sydney radio station. Even though his sexuality has been widely known in the gay community, it hasn't been public until Monday.

Reporter Vic Lorusso outed the singer when talking about meeting Callea while discussing an old school mate.

"You wouldn't know him. He's a nice guy but his partner, which is Anthony Callea, didn't want to know anything about anybody," the reporter said on the air.

The radio station later released a statement saying, "Vic had no idea that it wasn't common knowledge."

Callea has denied gay rumors since his participation on the TV show "Australian Idol" in 2004 and has stated, "I'm not gay. I don't know why people say I am. A lot of people just make up rubbish."

Gay activist and commentator Rodney Croome believes the response to Callea's outing will show how far Australians have come in accepting homosexuality.

"He is an extremely popular performer in the same mature female demographic Liberace went to extraordinary lengths to keep the truth from. He's also making a strong bid for a younger female audience," Croome wrote.

"If Callea's outing isn't successfully smothered by his publicists first, and if it's true that he's in a same-sex relationship, there's one sure way he can preserve his image and sales.

"Unveil his boyfriend and their shared love for the whole nation to see."