BEIJING, July 28 -- Lance Bass, a singer in the boy band 'N Sync, has revealed that he is gay and in a relationship with a former star of a U.S. reality television show, the People magazine said Wednesday.

    Bass, 27, said he had kept his homosexuality a secret because he did not want to hurt ¡®N Sync's popularity and cripple the careers of his bandmates.

    ¡°The thing is, I'm not ashamed ¡ª that's the one thing I want to say,¡± Bass told People. ¡°I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this. I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life.¡±

    Bass said he has a ¡°very stable¡± relationship with actor Reichen Lehmkuhl, 32, who appeared on the reality TV show ¡°Amazing Race.¡±

    ¡®N Sync, whose members included Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez, had hits like ¡°I Want You Back,¡± ¡°Bye Bye Bye¡± and ¡°Tearing Up My Heart¡± and was at the forefront of the 1990s ¡°boy band¡± craze. The group went on hiatus in 2002.

    Bass told People he had not previously revealed he was gay because he feared it would hurt the band¡¯s popularity and the careers of his bandmates.

    ¡°I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys¡¯ careers in my hand and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower everything,¡± Bass said.

    Bass said the reason he wanted to come out in public now is that rumors ¡°really were starting to affect my daily life. Now it feels like it¡¯s on my terms.¡±