'Bachelor' alum Colton Underwood says he was 'blackmailed' before coming out as gay

About a month after Colton Underwood publicly came out as gay in an interview with "Good Morning America," he said that he did so, in part, because he was "blackmailed."

Speaking with Variety, the former "Bachelor" star said his coming out was prompted out of fear.

"I’ll just say it. I, at one point, during my rock bottom and spiral, was getting blackmailed," he said. "Nobody knows I was blackmailed."

Underwood told the outlet he received an anonymous email from someone claiming to have nude photos of him at a Los Angeles spa known for its gay clientele, which he had recently visited. The email's sender allegedly threatened to leak the info to the press.

Though the former football star said he never saw the photos the email's sender referenced, the experience made him realize he needed to publicly address his sexuality.

"I've ran from myself for a long time. I've hated myself for a long time," Underwood told Roberts in a pre-taped chat for "GMA" last month, discussing his sexuality publicly for the first time.

"And I'm gay," he continued. "And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know. I'm still nervous, but yeah. It's been a journey for sure."

After coming out on "GMA," Underwood received a slew of support from Bachelor Nation and other celebrities.