George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Lautner: Stars Hit by Gay Rumours

He has dated some of the most beautiful women in the world, but George Clooney has once again been forced to speak out about his sexuality.

Instead of finally putting to bed any rumours, however, the 50-year-old actor revealed that he frankly does not care if people think he is gay.

In an interview with gay and lesbian magazine The Advocate, the Oscar-nominated actor said: "My private life is private and I'm very happy in it.

"I think it's funny, but the last thing you'll ever see me do is jump up and down, saying, 'These are lies!' That would be unfair and unkind to my good friends in the gay community," he added.

Clooney, a popular campaigner for legalising same-sex marriage in the United States, explained that, even after his death, people will continue to speculate about his sexuality.

"Who does it hurt if people think I'm gay?" the Ocean's Eleven actor told the magazine.

Clooney is not the first and certainly will not be the last celebrity to have his sexual orientation questioned.

International Business Times UK takes a look at some other celebrities who found themselves at the centre of gay rumours.

George Clooney said he does not care if people think is he gay and that it would be unkind to his friends in the gay community if he allowed himself to be offended by rumours about his sexuality

Chat show queen Oprah Winfrey's close friendship with television presenter Gayle King sparked rumours that she was gay. Winfrey denied the claims in a 2010 interview with ABC's Barbara Walters.

Actor Tom Curise launched two lawsuits in the space of a month in 2001 in an effort to quash reports that he is gay. He has since threatened to sue any publication that prints further claims.

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has repeatedly dismissed rumours about his sexuality, especially after full-frontal nude photos of him appeared all over the internet while he was appearing in the play Equus

Twilight star Taylor Lautner fell victim to an online gay hoax earlier this year. Fans were left stunned when a fake People magazine cover appeared, in which the actor announced that he was 'out and proud'.