Christian Wilkins shares touching story of how he came out to his dad, Richard Wilkins

Christian Wilkins, son of Nine star Richard Wilkins, has recalled the day he walked into his dad’s office “almost about to cry” after an awkward run-in with a family friend.

For fashion icon and model Christian Wilkins, never feeling pressured to “officially” come out to his parents is something he’ll always cherish.

The 27-year-old son of Nine entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins and Richard’s ex-wife Michelle Burke recalled his upbringing in a new episode of Phoebe Burgess’ Vogue podcast Under the Gloss, explaining that both his parents encouraged him to “lean in” to his identity from an early age, and that he never felt as though he had to come out as gay.

Christian, who has been turning heads at red carpet events all year in statement looks, from stunning gowns to mini skirts and bold, printed suits, spoke in his capacity as Victoria Racing Club’s newest ambassador alongside Delta Goodrem.

The wide-ranging interview touched on his enviable style, saw him discuss vicious trolling over his Logies dress, and also recall his father’s heartwarming words after an awkward run-in with a family friend.

Christian said having such ‘amazing’ parents helped him find himself at an early age. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Asked by Burgess for his coming out story, Christian joked that his parents have known all along.

“Well, now that I look back at it, refusing to go to bed at the age of five until I did a lip sync performance of On a Night Like This by Kylie Minogue probably meant that they were somewhat aware,” he began with laugh.

“But I just think there wasn’t this expectation that I was straight, and that I needed to say these words. It was a ‘we’re people and you can explore whatever you wanted and it doesn’t mean anything’. Or (they’d say) ‘It’s not as weighted as it used to be.’”

While Christian remembered an understanding from his parents’ point of view, he said a friend of his father’s once told him he should say the words.

The ever-stylish Christian has been named Victoria Racing Club’s newest ambassador. Picture: Sam Tabone/Getty Images.

“I remember one of my dad’s friends one day kind of said to me, ‘Oh, your dad would actually quite like you to say it.’ And I was really angry hearing that. And one of my girlfriends was there and she was she had a go at the person, she was like, ‘Why should he have to do that? It’s not about Richard.’

“The next Monday, I went into Dad’s office and I was almost about to cry. And I was like, ‘I just heard that you want me to say something? And I think it’s unfair that you do.’

He turned to me and he was like, ‘Darling, if what you’re saying is what I think you’re saying, if you feel the need to say something, say it, but you don’t need to say anything for me.’ And I think that that was so amazing to kind of hear because it never felt like something I wanted or needed to say. And I loved that.”

Asked who the “nosy” friend in question was, Christian refused to dish the details, hinting that it was someone people would know.

Christian and Richard has a rock-solid father-son bond.

Elsewhere, he touched on the liberating feeling of expressing himself on the red carpet, discussing how it’s “taken him a while” to feel comfortable to do so.

“I kind of always wanted to dress how I dress now, which is definitely embracing many more feminine shapes, many more feminine textures and fabrics and colours, but I think if you feel like you’re sort of a solo rider, it’s so much more daunting.

“My dad never judged me, never told me not to wear something, but (I was) still conscious because (I was) going as someone’s son,” he said of attending red carpets in the past, adding that once he found his footing in the LGBTQIA+ community, he “just gave less of a sh*t”.

Christian was targeted with cruel comments after he donned a sheer dress for the Logies this year, with one troll declaring that his fashion sense was “not normal”.

Christian Wilkins at the Logie Awards in June. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

Speaking out about the backlash on the podcast this week, Christian said in private, it was much worse, revealing that some people told him they wanted him to have a drug overdose.

“I got a few messages of people telling me that they wanted me to OD for what I was wearing … It was a dress?,” he said.

“Homophobic or misogynist commentary, it’s not allowed, it’s not on,” he added, explaining that anyone who “spews hate” just creates a toxic environment that ultimately affects the people they love.

Of the dress itself, he said: “I think that I have a pretty unshakeable sense of self, and if I go to a red carpet, I make sure that that’s bolstered. I make sure that I love what I’m wearing, then it’s no seed to water with negative commentary.”