Ricky Martin Would’ve Come Out Sooner, But He Loved Keeping It a Secret And Watching You Squirm

Tuesday isn’t just your chance to watch Christine O’Donnell hopefully disappear from the national arena — it’s only your chance to watch Ricky Martin say more than 140 characters about his sexuality. Popping up on Oprah the same day he releases he new book and single, Martin’s already-taped interview will dish about things like “when he knew” (answer: always); why he decided to come out (it was a decision long in the making); and whether he’s dating anybody now (yup). But what secrets is he sharing in his book Me?

How about the first time he dated a dude? A blog found a review of an advanced copy of the book:

El Nuevo Dia shares passages in which Martin describes his first romantic relationship with a man with a “radio journalist and DJ from Los Angeles” – So Ryan Seacreat. “We met at a radio station and from the moment we saw each other it was like a great encounter between souls, at least for me. I was traveling out of Los Angeles and went to the station for an interview. The moment I opened the door to the studio, I found myself face to face with the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen,” narrates the Puerto Rican singer in his biography.

The relationship occurred at the end of 1993 when Martin was about to join the cast of “General Hospital” and ended some time later when the couple realized that it couldn’t survive Martin’s constant touring. Martin says he offered to end his music career and perhaps let the world know he was gay but says that his partner was the one who convinced him that he should not cut his career short even if it meant and end to the relationship.

Martin apparently also puts to rest a question repeatedly raised by gossip magazines when it comes to his current domestic situation: He indicates he does not have a current partner and is raising his children on his own.

He also only addresses his relationship with Mexican news anchor and actress Rebeca de Alba – a relationship that played out in public for some time even as rumors swirled around Martin that he was gay – without directly mentioning her name.

Martin also acknowledges he played up a hetero image, or at least refused to come out of the closet, because he thought it would end his career: “Socially, there are so many prejudices against homosexuals that I thought nobody would understand me, that I’d be rejected, since those are the codes I heard and learned as a child. So since my adolescence, when these desires I first began to manifest themselves, I had to deal with this great conflict between my emotions and my thoughts.” And then when, in his 30s, he began feeling more comfortable about sharing his secret? Martin says by that point, he got off on keeping it a secret. Smarmy!