Good news for Joe McElderry: his fanbase just got a whole lot gayer

We've had enough run-ins with Joe McElderry's predominantly very girly fanbase to know that they're a passionate bunch, so we were very interested to see how they'd react to him deciding to reveal that he's gay. And while some of them are a bit gutted that they'll never get to see him naked (alright, never get to hold his hand - most of Joe's fans are a little young for anything more graphic), they're being bloody lovely about it. Phew, we're glad to have the confirmation that it is, in fact, 2010. 

"I am more proud of @joemcelderry91 than ever. He has so much courage & no matter what his sexuality he will continue to wow us all," tweeted LovexJoe, while Lauzluvsjoemc said "One very proud @joemcelderry91 fan today and tomorrow and the next day, and next week, next month, and next year and for eternity xxxx."

There are zillions more where those came from but all the kisses are making our eyes hurt, so let's move on to what some more high profile types are saying. Matt Lucas has embraced Joe into his big gay bosom, saying "Congrats to @joemcelderry91 - a big, brave step forward. Good for you," making us wonder if Joe's just made himself a whole lot more famous by telling the world who he really is. What next, dinner invites to Elton John's? Alan Carr has also just got in on the Twitter action, writing "Good on Joe McElderry coming out!! I feel like i should send him a starter pack or something." Oh Christ, Joe's only kissed one boy so far, we're not sure he's quite ready for that...

A few other famous folk have been a bit more sarcastic about the whole thing. Comedian Paddy McGuinness tweeted "Breaking news!!! X Factors Joe McElderry is gay, we didn't see that one coming. Who next, Louie Spence?" while music bod Professor Green wrote "So Joe McElderry admitted he's gay... I'd just like to admit to everyone that I'm white."

But the good news for Joe is that rather than alienating his adoring female fans, he's actually attracted a whole new load of admirers overnight in the form of a dozens of lusty blokes who've been tweeting him with lines like "I'd love to buy you a drink some time". And, most amusingly of all, the decidedly heterosexual Tom from McFly, who is currently all kinds of naked on the cover of gay mag Attitude, wrote "Well done Joe McElderry! Just in time to openly enjoy this months Attitude magazine."

As well as his exclusive interview with the Mirror, Joe's now written a letter to fans on his website. You can read it in full here, but the gist is that he's very grateful for everyone's support.

So, things are looking good for Joe... but we reckon he should make the most of all this attention and release some music while everyone still knows who he is. 

 Pic: SplashNews.com