Matthew Mitcham, a former Olympic athlete, has defended his peers from “prudish” remarks about their OnlyFans “side-hustles”.

The 36-year-old Australian diver memorably made history in 2008 as the first openly gay athlete to win a Olympic gold medal.

Since retiring, he has made television appearances on the Australian edition of Dancing with the Stars, where he placed runner-up, and SAS Australia.

Mitcham has also become a successful OnlyFans creator, a move that has since been replicated by Olympic athletes such as Jack Laugher, Daniel Goodfellow, Matty Lee and Noah Williams.

With many of these athletes currently in the public zeitgeist as a result of their participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics, they’ve faced negative stigma online about their OnlyFans careers.

It exacerbated when Laugher told The Telegraph: “Yes, I try and make extra money. Obviously, I’ve got something people want, and I’ll happily cash in on that. I’m a bit of a hustler, and I want a bit more money if I can [get it].”

In a recent essay for the same publication, Mitcham defended athletes who use the platform by highlighting their unexpectedly low income.

“I read that Jack was earning £28,000 from Team GB, which is not a lot for a sportsperson of his standing, and explains why he is looking to supplement his income,” he wrote.

Mitcham revealed that he when he retired from diving in 2016, his income “slowed down” and he was only able to “get by” with the money he earned on OnlyFans.

“My attitude – as a former Olympic Champion who has been posting content on OnlyFans for 18 months – is that it’s a useful way of supplementing income,” he explained.

Photo: @matthew_mitcham

“After all the hours and sacrifice we’ve put in, we athletes have more than earned the odd side-hustle.

“The harsh truth of sport is that a small percentage of athletes make it big. Those people might be rewarded with lots of juicy sponsorships, but we’re talking about only the most beautiful and charismatic of Olympic champions. A lot of brilliant performers get left behind.”

Mitcham criticised how “the world can be very prudish” and reflected on how people “like to shame athletes who show off their bodies, even though there’s usually no full-frontal nudity involved”.

“I admit that there is a stigma attached to modelling on OnlyFans, and you have to weigh it up carefully,” he added.

“Ultimately, you can play safe and stay within the system, or you can decide to be a maverick – one of those people who steps outside the system and changes it.

“There’s no logical reason why sharing tailored content with a specific group of supportive, liberal fans should affect an athlete’s ability to appeal to the mainstream. Let’s hear it for the mavericks, I say.”

You can read Mitcham’s full essay for The Telegraph here, and you can also find him on OnlyFans at this link.