, winner of series four of , has opened up about his family’s negative reaction to him coming out as bisexual earlier this month.

Watts came out on 6 October via Instagram, admitting he was terrified to speak publicly about his sexuality but eventually plucked up the courage to come out online.

In a new at The Travel Movement, an online community network co-founded by Watts in 2024, he honoured travel mentor Heidi Ellender ahead of her receiving the company’s first-ever Extraordinary Impact Award.

Alfie Watts says his family “weren’t exactly the most approving”

During his testimony, Watts thanked Ellender for helping him feel seen when his family “weren’t exactly the most approving when they found out” about his sexuality.

“As most of you won’t know in here, my family weren’t exactly the most approving when they found out, and this is an understatement,” he said.

“But Heidi related on another level, a lot to do, I think, with a similar background, but also because I think that she just gets me.”

Watts speaking to Heidi Ellender about his sexuality made him feel “seen”

“She knows what it’s like to vision, touching the stars when your feet are still glued to the ground. She knows what it’s like to find a family outside of blood. She knows how to talk,” he continued.

After speaking to Ellender for the first time about his sexuality, he acknowledges she made him feel “safe”, “seen” and him and his co-founder Guy Lucas-Bhana feel “loved”.

“You give everything and you care, and your heart is truly made of gold. And it really, really is,” he said, speaking to Ellender. “We can’t believe that we found the bloodless family member because of it.”

Life since coming out as bisexual

Since coming out, Watts said the reaction from the public had been positive. “Not a single bad word has been said,” he said in another social media video.

He thanked fans for the warm response after an “overwhelming couple of days”. “The reaction to the post, which I must admit, I wanted to be a little bit more subtle than it ended up being, was magnificent.”