CATHAL McCarron has said he is still regularly approached online by gay men more than two years after appearing in pornography to fund his gambling addiction.
In his new tell-all book, McCarron said some people seem to look upon him as a "gay icon".
"Some people will continue to form the same opinion of you. A lot of them still think I'm gay," he said.
"Every day, I still get online approaches, or some form of social media connectivity, from the gay community. It's embarrassing when some man asks to meet you, but I don't look on that as a negative.
"Some gay men seem to look upon me as a kind of gay icon. That's how I was tagged on some LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] community websites and discussion boards.
"When the video went viral, some of those forums were laced with comments from gay men about how much they wanted to have sex with me.
"The last thing I am is gay, but I'll take those comments above vile, vitriolic, homophobic and personal abuse any day of the week.
"I completely respect the lesbian and gay community, because I really appreciated their messages of support when so many others wanted to bury me."
:: Cathal McCarron's autobiography Out of Control, ghost-written by former Clare hurling goalkeeper Christy O'Connor, is released on October 20 through publishing house Simon & Schuster
