Billionaire Barry Diller Comes Out as Gay, Calls Wife Diane von Fürstenberg His 'Unique Love'

Billionaire mogul Barry Diller, long the subject of gay rumors in spite of his 24-year marriage to designer Diane von Fürstenberg, has come out at age 83.

In a long excerpt from his new memoir "Who Knew" (Simon & Schuster) published by New York magazine, the former Fox and Paramount CEO bares his soul, acknowledging that he has always been gay, yet asserting that his passion for his wife has been just as real — she is no beard.

"While there have been a good many men in my life," he writes, "there has only ever been one woman. And she didn't come into my life until I was 33 years old."

Diller and von Fürstenberg, 78, the creator of the iconic '70s wrap dress, met in 1974. In spite of his sexual orientation, and after overcoming their initial dislike of one another, Diller describes a physical affair that played out in NYC, Connecticut, L.A., Aspen, and Europe.

Emphasizing the sincerity of their liaison, Diller writes that he never questioned that its "biological imperative was as strong in its heterosexuality as its opposite had been."

During this period, he gifted her an incredible 29 diamonds for her 29th birthday!

Their glitzy relationship was put on ice when von Fürstenberg began an affair with Richard Gere, then the star of "American Gigolo" — produced by Diller — but they reunited and famously wed in 2001.

The wedding was long said to have been a cover-up for Diller's gay identity, but while Diller candidly admits he was terrified of coming out for fear of how it would affect his career — describing keeping his gay life in a "distant box" — he posts his manifesto from the era, in which he states he would live silently, but not hypocritically, and would never attempt to persuade anyone he was not gay.

That included never getting into a situation where he would be publicly asked on the record about his sexual identity.

"It wasn’t courage," he admits, "it was simply the minimum conditions of my conduct, and I recognize it now as the opposite of courage."

In spite of the turmoil he felt over living authentically, Diller describes his union with his wife as "unique and complete love."

"Who Knew" is out later this month.