Background
Hayes married a childhood sweetheart, makeup artist Colby Taylor, in 1994 and they were devorced in 2000.
Hayes was upset when Simon Amstell, an openly gay UK comedian, asked Hayes about his sexuality before he had actually been out. He was outraged by Amstell's lack of respect for his privacy, but later said that event made him realize that he needed to be honest. Hayes started coming out as gay to friends and the head of his label, Sony in the early 2000s. He married his boyfriend of two years, Richard Cullen, on 19 June 2006 in London. Though public speculation about his sexual orientation had been present throughout his career, he is famous for keeping his personal life private. He announced the event the day prior on his official website. Before the announcement Cullen's name had appeared on the website as the designer of the cover for Hayes' single "So Beautiful". Hayes and Cullen live in London.
Hayes is a well-known Star Warsbuff and has been since childhood. He also collects Star Wars memorabilia and he even auditioned for a role in Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.