Cricket star James “Jimmy” Anderson
appears on the October cover of UK gay glossy Attitude.
The cover photo,
taken by fashion photographer Ram Shergill, features the 28-year-old
six-foot-two sports figure wearing a pair of chemical-washed jeans,
black boots and little else.
Anderson, who plays
for the UK's Lancashire County Cricket Club, insists there is no
homophobia in the game.
“I think the game is moving with the
times,” he told the AFP. “From my point of view, I think this
could be fantastic for cricket.”
“If there are any
gay cricketers, they should feel confident enough to come out,
because I don't think there is homophobia in cricket,” he added.
Anderson and
Daniella Lloyd, a fashion model, married in 2006 and welcomed
daughter Lola Rose in 2009.
Anderson's decision to pose for the
magazine was praised by its editor, Matthew Todd, who said the sport
star is sending a “strong, playful signal that sportsmen can be
comfortable with homosexuality among team-mates and fans.”
He added that Lloyd was instrumental in
convincing her husband to appear on the cover.