After years of speculations, Darren admitted to the entire world that he is gay and that he has already married his boyfriend of two years, in a private ceremony held in London last month.

Rumors about an engagement were vastly spread, especially following his attending a concert with a wedding ring on his finger.

In an announcement posted on the artist's official site, Hayes said that, for the first and last time in his public career, he feels the need to talk about his personal life. 'On June 19th 2006, I married my boyfriend of two years, Richard, in a Civil Partnership ceremony in London', the artist tells his many fans.

The singer was previously married to college sweetheart Colby Taylor, but he got divorced in 1999, after only four years of marital bliss. Since then, questions about his sexuality were constantly raised but he always managed to avoid answering them, preferring to keep his personal life away from the eye of the press.

Darren also took the opportunity of thanking his friends and family for their support all along the years and to the British authorities and legal system that enabled his commitment to become official.

'I feel lucky to live in an era where my relationship can be considered legally legitimate and I commend the UK Government for embracing this very basic Civil Liberty'.

Regarding his professional life, the singer said that he would be going into the recording studio pretty soon to start working on his second solo album. It is expected to be released sometime next year.