George Michael hung pearls from biker jacket in Faith video as secret signal to show that he was gay – 11 years before he came out

George Michael hung strings of pearls from his leather jacket in the video for his hit Faith to send a secret signal that he was gay – eleven years before he publicly came out.

The revelation was made by Andy Morahan, who directed the 1987 video in which Michael wore a ‘Rockers Revenge’ biker jacket, aviator sunglasses and ripped jeans, making him a global sex symbol.

In unused footage obtained exclusively by this newspaper from the documentary George Michael: Portrait Of An Artist, which airs on Channel 4 tonight, 65-year-old Morahan is told how the star fired his stylist and bought the jacket in a boutique in Hollywood.

“George talked about leather jackets, but he didn’t have one that gave off the Rebel and Wild One vibe,” Morahan said, referencing classic James Dean films.

“Then we found this jacket with ‘Revenge’ on the back and (George) put his pearls on the side – his secret sign of his sexuality.”

George Michael’s long-term boyfriend Kenny Goss (pictured together in 2004) confirmed Michael was in therapy to deal with the pressures of fame

Faith reached number one in the US and number two in Britain.

Michael only came out publicly in 1998 after he was caught asking an undercover police officer for sex in a public bathroom in Beverly Hills.

A source in Los Angeles, who was friends with Michael, said: ‘George hid his sexuality from the public because there was no way he would have become a heartthrob if he had come out at that time.

‘But he has never hidden his sexuality in private. One of the things you could do back then to make it clear to other men in clubs and bars that you were gay was to hang a string of pearls on your jeans or jacket.

‘It was a message to his gay fans. You have the contrast of that cool jacket with the feminine pearls. His message was clear to those of us who knew the signal.”

The singer’s long-term boyfriend Kenny Goss confirmed that Michael was in therapy to deal with the pressures of fame.

The singer began meeting famous psychiatrist Dr. Dr. at the age of 18. Barrington Cooper, who treated stars like Elizabeth Taylor, visited up to three times a week.

Goss said, “Dr. Cooper was a fantastic psychiatrist, a good friend.

‘He encouraged patients to believe in themselves and that anything is possible if you work hard for it. He became a big part of our lives.”

The doctor’s widow, artist Jane Cooper, said: ‘My husband looked after George from the age of 18.

Michael (pictured here in 1987) did not come out publicly until 1998 after he was caught soliciting sex from an undercover police officer in a public restroom in Beverly Hills

“George had a depressed uncle who committed suicide, and that’s a genetic issue. I doubt you can ignore it to that extent – ​​it’s like a disease. I think George was there.”

While a coroner ruled that Michael’s death in 2016, aged 53, was the result of a heart attack, Ms Cooper believes the star killed himself slowly with drink and drugs, adding: ‘The coroner said he died of a heart attack, but I read that as a euphemism for other things. A polite euphemism.’

In another version, producer Chris Porter revealed that Michael had a recording studio built on a Boeing 747 when Wham! toured China in 1985.

He added: “There were no studios in China. The closest were in Australia. We built our own studio in that 747 and were actually transported to the two shows in China.”