Sam Smith Opens Up About Gay Bashing Attack

Grammy Award-winner Sam Smith revealed to the British newspaper the Sun this week that he was beat up when he moved to London because he is gay.

"When I moved to London I got punched in the neck walking back from work," the now 22-year-old soul singer told the Sun (via the Daily Mail). "It was definitely homophobic. I was on the phone speaking quite loudly and had pink headphones on so it was pretty clear I was gay."

He said his attackers hurled gay slurs at him while he was physically assaulted.

"A bunch of boys from a rival school would shout insults at me as I walked from my home to the train station," he recalled. "I remember walking to the station getting 'faggot' shouted at me all the time."

"It was the most mortifying thing. Not so much for me. I knew these people were stupid, uneducated twits," he added.

Smith also said he has been humiliated by other gay men. He told the Sun about his first time at a gay club when he was a teen and said his "whole world crashed" when someone made a derogatory comment about him.

"I knew then it was going to take a lot longer to be accepted. There's a lot of homophobia and bullying in the gay community," the "Stay With Me" singer said. "There's also a lot of body dysmorphia in the gay community, which means if you're not toned and skinny it can be awful."

Smith, however, has come under fire for his own remarks in the past, saying that hookup apps like Grindr are "ruining romance" and backtracking on comments about being a role model for the LGBT community.

Watch the music video for Smith's single "Lay Me Down" below: