Whispers have circulated for years that the iconic musician and father of four has kept his true sexuality a secret. But Stanley tells The Breeze: "As long as you're a good person, sexual orientation and stuff like that is totally irrelevant. That being said, I never saw a guy where I said, 'Gee, that's a close second to a woman.'

"I never looked and said, 'If I can't have that girl over there, I'm taking the bloke.' It's always persisted over time that I'm gay. If I were, I'd be proud to be whatever I am."