The late songstress Whitney Houston was a closet lesbian who binged on drugs and alcohol to soothe the pain caused by living a lie. According to the Daily Mail, sources close to the star have broken the silence on her sexuality following her tragic death. A rumour that has been circulating for 30 years that Whitney had engaged in a secret relationship with her ex-assistant Robyn Crawford. According to British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell, Whitney’s marriage to R&B bad boy Bobby Brown was a smokescreen. “It’s important to tell the truth about this aspect of her life,” said Tatchell. “Whitney was happiest and at her peak in the 1980s when she was with her female partner. 'They were so loved up and joyful together. Perhaps her inability to accept and express her same-sex love contributed to her substance abuse and decline. “She was pressured into the Bobby Brown marriage. It was a disaster. Her life started going downhill soon afterwards.” Whitney and Crawford had known each other since the star was 16-years-old. Crawford dropped out of college to work for her. Hours after the singer’s death, Crawford composed a Valentine’s Day-themed tribute to her, which was published in US magazine. “I first met Whitney when I was 16 and knew right away she was special. Whitney was modelling and had peachy-coloured skin and didn’t look like anyone I’d ever met in New Jersey,” wrote Crawford. “I can’t believe that I’m never going to hug her or hear her laughter again.” Both Whitney’s sister-in-law and her former bodyguard have confirmed that the rumours were true. Ex-husband Bobby Brown also hinted at as much in his autobiography, saying their marriage was a cover-up for her relationships with other women. “I think we got married for all the wrong reasons. Now, I realize Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married. “I believe her agenda was to clean up her image, while mine was to be loved and have children. The media was accusing her of having a bisexual relationship with her assistant, Robin [sic] Crawford. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn’t go too well with her image. “In Whitney’s situation, the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation, whether it was true or not.” Whitney’s former bodyguard claims that he once saw Crawford slap the singer because she was flirting with other men. He also revealed that Crawford was furious when Whitney announced that she was going to marry Brown. Whitney herself responded to the rumours in 2000, saying: “I am a mother, not a lesbian. I am not gay”.