Tom Daley & Dustin Lance Black Talk Break Following Online Sex Scandal

Monday January 23, 2017

British Olympic diver Tom Daley and his fiancé, Oscar-winning screen writer Dustin Lance Black, are back together after a secret seven-month break.

The couple gave an exclusive interview with The Sun, opening up about the status of their relationship. The interview comes after an explicit Snapchat video surfaced online, showing Daley in his underwear.

Unbeknownst to their biggest fans, the couple was on the seven-month break, which started last year, because Black was out of the country working on the upcoming ABC LGBT history mini-series "When We Rise." The men said they both agreed that they wanted to refrain from being in a long-distance relationship.

"I mean, being very frank, I was out of the country for about seven months last year," Black told The Sun. "I'd been back and forth before that too, and in that time Tom and I took a decision to take a bit of time off."

During the break Daley said he connected with a fan on social media.

"It was the distance. It's not like I actually met up with anyone," the diver told the newspaper. "I'm 22 years old, and if you talk to someone through social media it is what it is. It was nothing more than that. We never physically met."

According to The Sun, Daley's online relationship started in February 2016, a few months after the couple announced their engagement. After giving the 23-year-old mystery man, from Liverpool, England, his phone number, Daley reportedly asked him several times to visit London during the 11-month online exchange.

The athlete also sent the man intimate pictures and an explicit video via Snapchat -- a portion of the video made its way online. The Sun notes the men were chatting last Friday but never met up in person.

"...in the modern world this is what can happen - things are more accessible online, and distributed, and they spread like wildfire," Daley added. "People are just exploring and finding out what can be done and how easy it is to not even think about what you're doing online."

The news of Daley's social media interactions came during a hard time for the couple but the diver said telling Black about it made their relationship "grow stronger."

"Me and Lance after working through that distance through the amount of time we've been together, sometimes it takes something like a little bit of time apart to realize how fond you are of each other," he told The Sun. "That's why we've been enjoying planning our wedding so much in the last few weeks."

"We don't have secrets in our relationship. We're honest and open about everything. When we were back together I told him everything," Daley said. "Lance and I had a period of time apart, and then coming back together and realizing we're meant for each other.

"We're soulmates - and the only way that we were going to get back to that point was to be honest, open and share everything that happened in our time away from each other," he added.

Black, 42, echoed his fiancé's sentiments, confirming they are back together and are focused on their wedding.

"We didn't tell a lot of people and it wasn't the easiest time for us - so what Tom did in that time was his personal business," he told The Sun.

"But as soon as my production was done we realized we can't live without each other, and adjustments had to be made to make sure that we are never separated for any reason, including work, ever again," Black said. "Part of that process is also why we've actually now set a date for our wedding. We finally set a date and things are very good, very good now."

"But distance is tough, and a lot of time apart is tough," the writer continued. "I do wish that what has happened in Tom's personal life was kept personal but those aren't the times we're in.

"I didn't really want to know and I was very busy so I didn't really want to pursue anyone - and we never felt out of love with each other," Black added.

Daley said he can't "imagine living without Lance. And that's why we are getting married."

Click here to read The Sun's full interview with Daley and Black.