British singer-songwriter Will Young says he was threatened at knifepoint for being gay.

In an interview with i newspaper, the former "Pop Idol" winner, 38, catalogued a slew of homophobic abuses over the years, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Will Young

"I've had to run away from knife threats, hide in shops. I've also taken people on."

He added that there was once an incident in Oxford that saw him witness some people hurling homophobic slurs.

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Explaining that he was pleased with the public reaction, he said: "The whole of the street turned against them and I think that was a palpable sign of how it's simply not tolerated now. People (who bully) just need to be educated, they don't need to be punished."