Students at an Italian university discovered that their math professor had a past career as a gay porn star.

The students at La Sapienza University of Rome discovered Professor Ruggero Freddi’s prior career after someone noticed a video Freddi posted of himself on Facebook flexing his muscles, recognized him, and contacted a reporter.

Freddi used to be known as Carlos Masi when he was a popular gay porn star in Italy.

Rather than hide his past, Freddi opened up to the Italian-language news site Repubblica about his previous life.

“Some students reposted the photo in a few sites, and from there my former life as a porn actor emerged,” he explained. “To be honest, it wasn’t exactly a secret.”

Freddi said he originally wanted a career in engineering in Italy but there was not much opportunity in the field, and he had to look elsewhere for work.

“I was offered to do a film in the USA. I thought, ‘Why not?’ A job that helps me earn more and is a more entertaining career,” he said.

He signed a contract with Colt Studios, but left in 2013 to pursue a master’s degree in mathematics. Freddi says he also has a master’s degree in computer engineering.

“I knew sooner or later something was going to happen, but I didn’t expect something so big to happen,” he says. “I thought someone would publish something and my students would talk about it for a while, but I wasn’t expecting the entire country to actually speak about it.”

Despite the international publicity, the professor says he has not run into any issues with the university about his prior career.

“I’m happy and proud of both my careers,” he says. “They both reflect part of my personality.”