BARCELONA'S mayoress Ada Colau has revealed in a TV interview that she is bisexual and has had several girlfriends since her teens.
Talking to Jorge Javier Vázquez on the programme Sábado Deluxe on Telecinco, Spain's fifth channel, the left-wing mayoress said she had two serious relationships during her Erasmus year in Milan.
“Firstly, I had a boyfriend and then a girlfriend, both Italian, he was called Paolo and she was called Elena – this was when I was 19, 20, 21 years old,” Sra Colau said on the show.
“This was the first time I fell in love with a woman – it was a very long and serious relationship, it lasted a good two years.
“Elena was the only major relationship with a woman I've had, although I did have a few very short-term girlfriends before then.
“Our relationship ended because – well, because relationships do tend to end eventually, and the distance also made it hard.”
Colau says she was open about her bisexuality with her family and friends when she was growing up.
“It was perfectly normal in our house – as a family, we had loads of gay friends and they formed part of our circle; my parents saw it as something completely normal.”
She says she does not think her political advisors would have known about her mixed-gender love life, however.
“They're probably finding out now by watching this programme,” she joked.
“But it would never occur to me that it might be an issue for my role in politics. I don't go around announcing it, but I never hide it either – long live love, and may everyone love whomsoever they want to.”
In the interview, Ada talked about her childhood, teenage years and early adult life.
She said that in high school, she was 'the class weirdo' and 'very different' to her schoolmates.
“I did have my moments, of course. I got drunk and went partying like your average teenager.
“I've tried smoking joints once or twice, but they made me feel really ill and even made me throw up, so I've never tried them again since.”
Photograph by the Telecinco chat show Sábado Deluxe on Twitter (@DeluxeSabado)
