The first British rugby league player to come out as gay says the time had come "to be true to myself".

Batley Bulldogs captain Keegan Hirst, who is separated from his wife, said he only recently came to accept he was gay when his marriage broke down.

The father-of-two told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show: "I suppose there's been feelings there for a while but I was convinced it would go away.

"I just thought it was a phase - it was inconceivable for me to think that I could be gay.

"I lived my life normally as society says we should - have a girlfriend, have a wife."

Watch Victoria Derbyshire on weekdays from 09:15-11:00 BST on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel.