Man, 24, who makes alternative Christmas ads to rival John Lewis every year comes out as gay in moving new film - revealing how he prayed to be 'normal' as a young boy

A young entrepreneur who spent much of his childhood wishing he could be 'normal' revealed he is gay on his 24th birthday with the release of a moving film that has left thousands of viewers in tears. Sam Teale, a filmmaker and business owner from Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, chose his birthday to finally tell the world something he had kept hidden for years. The four-minute flick, which Sam wrote and stars in, has been viewed more than 1.4 million times on his TikTok page, @samteale_, alone and more than two million times across social media. The film begins with the movie maker sitting down in a dark room and staring straight into the camera. 'My name is Sam and I don't fancy girls,' he says. 'I've spent years thinking about how to say these words. Conversations in my head. Different versions of the truth. Moments where I almost said it, but I swallowed it.' Sam Teale, a filmmaker and business owner from Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, chose his birthday to finally tell the world something he had kept hidden for years The four-minute flick, which Sam wrote and stars in, has been viewed more than 1.4 million times on his TikTok page, @samteale_, alone and more than two million times across social media The filmmaker takes viewers back to his childhood, recreating moments from school where he heard casual comments such as 'that's so gay', 'gay boy' and 'why haven't you got a girlfriend yet?'From there, he takes viewers back to his childhood, recreating moments from school where he heard casual comments such as 'that's so gay', 'gay boy' and 'why haven't you got a girlfriend yet?' He adds: 'The people who said those things probably don't remember, but I do.' Another scene shows a teenage Sam sitting awkwardly with his mother as they watch a TV programme that shows a same-sex couple passionately kissing. Sam grips the edge of the sofa as his mother nonchalantly utters: 'Oh, here we go again.' The following scene depicts Sam alone in his bedroom, where he opens his phone's browser to type: 'How to stop being gay.' Although the comments from his loved ones and peers were not necessarily directed at him, Sam says he gradually absorbed the message that being gay was somehow 'wrong'. He became so desperate to change that he would pray as a child, promising God he would 'be good' if only he could become different. Years later, that fear was still with him. But, rather than confronting his sexuality, Sam threw himself into his career. He began filming professionally at just 14 and later turned down college at 16 to launch his own production company. Sam - depicted as a young teen played by Owen Phillips in the film Another scene shows a teenage Sam sitting awkwardly with his mother as they watch a TV programme that shows a same-sex couple passionately kissing. Sam grips the edge of the sofa as his mother nonchalantly utters: 'Oh, here we go again' The following scene depicts Sam alone in his bedroom, where he opens his phone's browser to type: 'How to stop being gay'He taught himself much of what he now knows, and saved money to buy professional camera equipment. Sam's work went on to attract millions of views, with his Christmas adverts becoming particularly successful. His 2022 film, The Go Kart, made in two days on a tight £4,000 budget, was even compared by viewers to John Lewis' Christmas campaigns.Success quickly followed, with Sam going on to build a production team of 15. He was also named Young Entrepreneur of the Year, began speaking at events around the country, and even worked with major brands such as M&S, Heineken and Starling Bank. But behind his extraordinary achievements, Sam was still hiding the part of himself he found hardest to accept. In the film, he continues: 'I built a company. I travelled the world. I won awards. And I still couldn't say three words.' 'I thought success would fix it. I thought if I worked hard enough, if I achieved enough, if I because somebody worth admiring, then one day I'd finally feel worthy.'The film intentionally contrasts his professional success with the struggles he kept away from public view. He says: 'Even though it looks like I'm smashing it, no I'm not. Building a business is hard and you have things that come up along the way that are just hard.' He began filming professionally at just 14 and later turned down college at 16 to launch his own production company, which has grown to a team of 15 The film intentionally contrasts his professional success with the struggles he kept away from public viewOne of the most moving moments comes when Sam sits opposite Owen Phillips, the young actor portraying him as a young teenager, in a school assembly hall. The tearful boy asks whether Sam's loved ones will be disappointed when they find out he is gay, and whether they will still love him. Sam tells him they will.He adds: 'I spent years thinking about how to say these words. But saying the words wasn't the hard part. The hard part was believing I'd still be loved on the other side.'The film closes with Sam finally accepting the part of himself he had spent years trying to hide, as he declares: 'I was born this way, and there was never anything wrong with that. My name is Sam. And I'm gay.' Sam unveiled the film at his 24th birthday celebration with friends and family before sharing it online.'It has taken me 24 years to say these 3 words,' he wrote alongside the video.The response has been huge, with the TikTok post receiving nearly 347,000 likes, 16,000 shares and around 1,900 comments within four days.Many of the messages came from young people who said they were still struggling to tell their families and friends about their sexuality.One 14-year-old described being asked at a kebab shop whether he had brought a girl home before the man allegedly told his stepfather that if the teenager ever brought a boy home, 'you know what to do. Kill him.' 'I'm only 14 and I have to hear this,' he wrote.Another viewer, who said they had created a fake account simply to leave a comment, said: 'I've been fighting this for my whole life, I just can't accept myself for who I am. I'm actually 19.'Sam's memories of praying to be different also resonated with viewers. One recalled begging God to make them straight, while another described holding their dog and 'sobbing my heart out' after coming out to their mother.Others said the film should be shown in schools, with one viewer writing: 'Sat here crying at how many young people are still struggling with this even now. This needs to be shown everywhere.'Sam said he created the film during a period when he was struggling himself and hopes it can reassure anyone experiencing similar feelings.'No matter your sex, your sexuality, the colour of your skin, your size, or who you love, I hope this video helps them,' he said.'Five ago, only my close friends, family and team knew about my truth. Now millions of people across the world have heard my story, and the impact it has created is incredible.'It is showing people the real story of growing up gay. It isn't just my story; it is the story of millions of people around the world.'He said some viewers had told him they were using the film to start conversations with their own families, while others said it had encouraged them to stop using homophobic language.'I am so glad my story is helping so many people. This is the magic of content. This is why I do what I do,' he said.Despite the positive response, Sam said making the film was 'proper scary' and that it had taken 'loads of therapy' to reach the point where he felt able to do it.'This isn’t now the standard set for coming out, but I wanted to do it my way, and help others if I could,' he said.