Actor Charlie Carver, who found fame playing Porter Scavo in the long-running American drama Desperate Housewives, has come out to his hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram.

In a series of posts accompanied by a picture with the caption "Be Who You Needed When You Were Younger", the actor said he had known growing up, that he was different from other boys and this feeling had eventually resolved into realising he was gay.

Reflecting on his realisation, he said it had taken him years to let anyone else know.

The actor said his family had been very supportive of his decision to come out, but it had then taken more time for him to realise Hollywood would be as accepting of his sexuality. He said he had held back from being open about it, as he feared it would limit the roles he could play, but over time, he had realised this wasn't the case.

He added: "In my silence, I’ve helped decide for you too that to be gay is to be, as a young man (or young woman, young anyone), inappropriate for a professional career in the Arts (WHAAA???) So now, let the record show this - I self-identify as gay."

Charlie and his twin brother Max, who is also an actor, played twins Porter and Preston Scavo in Desperate Housewives. They also starred as brothers in the MTV series Teen Wolf. Charlie ended his announcement with a tribute to his twin saying, "And let the record show my twin brother is just as cool for being straight. Much Love, C."