Shawn Mendes reveals he 'really suffered' in aftermath of rumours about sexuality

Shawn Mendes has come forth revealing the devastating impact that rumours about his sexuality had on his mental health.

During an interview on the Armchair Expert podcast, the Canadian singer said he really suffered.

"It was so, so frustrating for me because there were some people in my life that I was very, very close to... who were gay and in the closet," the 22-year-old star said. "And I felt this real anger for those people."

He said he was tricky to address the hearsay.

"You want to say, 'I'm not gay but it'd be fine if I was gay. But also, there's nothing wrong with being gay but I'm not.' You don't really know how to respond to the situation."

"Everyone's been calling me gay since I was 15 years old," Shawn explained. "I'm not gay and I'm like, 'What does that mean?' I had these problems with the way my voice sounded. I'm like, 'How do I sit?' I'm always first to cross my legs and sit with a position of this feminine style and I really suffered with that [expletive]."

"I didn't grow up wrestling," he expressed. "I grew up getting my hair braided on New Year's Eve. It just completely depends on the way you grew up in your life and your surroundings."