Australian country music artist Beccy Cole will share a dramatic personal revelation tonight on the ABC’s Australian Story.

She says she realised she was gay after her marriage broke down in 1999, and has now decided to out herself publicly to set a good example to her 13-year-old son.

Her son had always known about his mum’s sexuality but had, until now, kept her secret. Now Cole says she wants to “see his mum standing up and being true.”

“One day when he told me he had a mate coming over, he said, ‘Don’t worry, he doesn’t know’. And I thought, ‘Gosh, he shouldn’t feel like he has to hide anything’,” the nine Golden Guitar award winner explains.

“It’s definitely uncomfortable if you’ve got a big part of yourself, if such an important part of yourself is a secret and kept inside. In the darkness of an evening, sometimes that has been a difficult thing for me to cope with over the years.”

Born in Glenelg, South Australia, Cole will turn 40 this October, and currently lives in Copacabana, New South Wales. She says she hopes her fans in regional Australia will understand why she has come out of the closet.

Cole’s best friend Casey Chambers has known her since they were teenagers in South Australia. “She’s always felt like she’s holding something back from everyone,” Chambers explains.

See Beccy Cole on the Australian Story tonight at 8pm on ABC1.

She’ll be on twitter responding to feedback and questions after the program – find Beccy Cole on Twitter here.

Cole’s best-known song and latest album as shown below…