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Beartooth frontman Caleb Shomo’s wife, Fleur, has opened up about the “disorientating” experience of her husband coming out as a “proudly gay man.”
Shomo, 33, founded the Ohio-based metalcore band Beartooth in 2012, the same year he married Fleur. He is the sole constant member of the group and records much of their music alone. They are expected to release their sixth album, Pure Ecstasy, later this year.
In an Instagram post yesterday, Shomo wrote: “There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding my personal life as of late and I feel compelled to set the record straight before it affects those I love any further. I am a proudly gay man.”
Shomo continues to say that he has been “unpacking and reckoning” with the realization for “quite some time now.” He went on: “When it comes to my art / Beartooth, I have always strived to chase who I am in the deepest part of my soul from album to album.
“As you could gather if you’ve followed the band at all in the earlier years, there are 4 very self deprecating albums about exploring my religious upbringing, depression, self hatred, self loathing, and hopelessness. I am grateful for all these albums, yet feel embarrassed at times that I wouldn’t allow myself to really dig up the roots for so long.”
Caleb Shomo with the other members of Beartooth (Taylor Lumley, Oshie Bichar, Kamron Bradbury and Brandon Mullins) in Cleveland, Ohio in 2015 (Getty)
Shomo explained that he “spent a decade burying feelings with alcohol” before deciding “to put it down and focus on exploring why I felt this way for so long, it’s been a direct path to me reconciling with my sexuality in hopes that it will eventually lead to me experiencing self love.”
Within hours of Shomo’s statement, Fleur added an Instagram post of her own and wrote: “Not really sure how to start this cause does anything even need to be said? But I guess I’ll just dive right in.
“The past few months have been a very disorientating and hurtful time to navigate. For both of us. But I will always want to love, protect and support Caleb. I have cared more about his well being over the years than anything else in the world.”
She went on to say candidly that while she supports Shomo, she has also struggled with the situation. “To support him whilst losing everything has been incredibly hard to figure out,” she wrote. “You can love and support your person through the hardest time in their life, whilst also be completely demolished & lose yourself at the same time.”
Fleur confirmed that the couple’s marriage is now over, writing: “Our nearly 14yrs of marriage was wonderful and full of so much fun, adventure & love. Nobody will know anything about our marriage like we do. And no one can ever truly know what depths of love exist between two people unless they are those people.”
She added: “I already miss it & my husband more than anything. Our story was a good one. And now it’s done.”