Jim Parsons believes his decision to come out as gay was a ''great thing'' for him.

The former 'Big Bang Theory' actor spoke about his sexuality for the first time in a 2016 interview and though he was initially worried that his personal life would become the thing that defined him once he made it public, he doesn't regret his decision.

During a conversation on 'David Tennant Does A Podcast With...', the host said: ''It's interesting when you have the success that you have had and you also happen to be gay, you become de facto an activist.

''The very fact that you admit that in a world where still not everyone who's in that position is willing to talk about it...''

Jim replied: ''That's right. And that was my last hurdle with coming out. The press. I knew that, 'You'll be a gay actor from here on out.'

''And now, looking back, not only has it not been a bad thing for me, it's been the opposite and a great thing for me, it's not untrue, but also I don't mind.''

The 47-year-old actor - who is married to Todd Spiewak - insisted it wasn't a ''big decision'' to come out because it happened ''organically''.

David asked: ''Did it feel like a big decision to take because you were having to weigh all that up?''

He replied: ''No, it happened organically. I was doing an interview the year after 'A Normal Heart' with the New York Times and Patrick Healy was interviewing me and he just asked, 'Was it more meaningful to you to be a part of 'A Normal Heart' because you're gay?' I went 'Yes.'

''And I just thought, I sort of came out through the back door, which again sounds dirty in this conversation. But it kind of was appropriate because, to your first question, I wasn't trying to hide from my friends and family.''

'David Tennant Does A Podcast With'... is available on Apple, Spotify and all podcast providers.