Matt Lucas supports Bridesmaids co-star Rebel Wilson amid reports she was ‘forced’ to ‘out’ herself

Matt Lucas has supported his Bridesmaids co-star Rebel Wilson following attempts by a newspaper to “out” her sexuality.

The Pitch Perfect actor, who recently hosted the Baftas, came out in an Instagram post on Thursday (9 June), writing: “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess.”

It was then revealed in a now-deleted Sydney Morning Herald column that Wilson had been given “two days” to comment on her new relationship before the outlet would go ahead and report on it.

In the piece, journalist Andrew Hornery complained that Wilson had prevented him from getting a scoop.

The article, published on a section titled “Private Sydney”, received widespread criticism, with Wilson telling her followers on Sunday (12 June): “Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace.”

Little Britain star Lucas, who is friends with Wilson, addressed the subject on Twitter, writing: “Coming out is often a long, scary process, with many beats. Self-realisation, telling friends & family, a first relationship.

“I thought the press forcing people to out themselves, regardless of whether or not they were ready, was a thing of the past. I must have been mistaken.”

He continued: “Thankfully we are only talking about one or two individuals here. It should be said that the vast majority of journalists now deal with this subject with much more sensitivity and empathy, even in some of the traditionally more right-leaning papers.”

Hornery has since apologised for the article, writing: “As a gay man I’m well aware of how deeply discrimination hurts. The last thing I would ever want to do is inflict that pain on someone else.”

He said that the outlet had “mishandled steps in our approach” to the story.

On Sunday (12 June), the newspaper’s editor Bevan Shields issued a statement denying any wrongdoing, writing: “Like other mastheads do every day, we simply asked questions and as standard practice included a deadline for a response.

“‘Private Sydney’ is a column in which the writer’s interaction with his subjects is often part of the story,” Shields continued, stating, “Saturday’s piece followed that theme in giving readers insights into our interaction with Wilson and her PR team. This was not a standard news story.”

Lucas and Wilson starred together in 2011 comedy Bridesmaids, playing the flatmates of Kristen Wiig’s lead character.