The Jamaican swimmer, who previously represented Britain, spoke to 22 Voices presenter Samantha Johnson.

He came out as gay in 2018 on the celebrity dating show The Bi Life, two years after he switched allegiances to Jamaica.

It is still technically illegal to be gay in the Caribbean country but Gunning said the reaction there had been positive.

"Since coming out, they haven't really spoken about it, and for me that's a really positive thing," said the 27-year-old.

"You see so much homophobia around the world, so for me to be able to be my authentic self and not get questioned or hate for it has been really amazing.

"It was so nice to walk poolside and not pretend to be someone I'm not. 

"I always had a smile on my face, I was always quite flamboyant, so for a lot of people it wasn't a shock. 

"I don't know why I thought people would treat me differently, but it was the best feeling and I've definitely seen the results in my swimming get better."

Gunning, whose father was born in Jamaica, won the Pride Award at the Attitude Pride Awards in 2019 for his work raising LGBT+ visibility in sport.

"When I was younger I never told anyone about my sexuality, I just suppressed it so much that it made being myself so hard," he added.

"So, I think my message to anyone that is struggling is talk to someone, whether it's a family member, a friend, even online.  

"Once you tell one person it just gets so much easier and it's a massive burden, a relief that you just let go of."

Birmingham 2022 is scheduled to take place from July 28 to August 8 next year.

A Pride House project will be part of the Games, with Gunning one of the ambassadors.