Queen guitarist Brian May did not realise his band mate Freddie Mercury was gay for years – because the flamboyant star had a string of girlfriends.

The pair were close during the early days of the band, but May insists he had no inclination of Mercury’s homosexuality.

The guitarist told the Daily Express, “No, I didn’t know. I don’t think even he was fully cognizant in the beginning.

“You’re talking to someone who shared rooms with Fred on the first couple of tours, so I knew him pretty well. I knew a lot of his girlfriends and he certainly didn’t have boyfriends, that’s for sure.

“I think there was a slight suspicion, but it never occurred to me that he was gay.”

And even when Mercury, who died in 1991, had come to terms with his sexual orientation, he became well versed at avoiding the issue when asked directly.

May added: “I remember Freddie being asked if he was gay in one of his early interviews and he said: ‘Yes, darling, of course. I’m as gay as a daffodil.’

“It was a neat way of sidestepping the issue because actually, Freddie was no fool. I know that all through his life Fred didn’t think that whether he was gay or not was important. He loved music, he love his work, and he didn’t want anything to get in the way.

“Anyone who portrays Fred as purely a gay story is missing a lot of the point.”