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Things are going swimmingly! Ian Thorpe appears relaxed and in high spirits enjoying night out with actress Simone Kessell three months after revealing he's gay

By Alicia Vrajlal for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 20:53 EST, 16 October 2014 | Updated: 04:18 EST, 17 October 2014

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After revealing publicly he is gay in an interview with Sir Michael Parkinson back in July, Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe is spending time with those closest to him.

The 31-year-old Olympic star was spotted enjoying a night out with his long-time friend Simone Kessell on Thursday night at hot spot The Bucket List in Sydney's Bondi.

Looking very relaxed and in high spirits at the beachside bar's Sunset Cocktails Evening event, Ian happily posed for photos with his actress pal.

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Night out: Ian Thorpe was spotted enjoying a night out with his long-time friend Simone Kessell on Thursday night at hot spot The Bucket List in Sydney's Bondi

The swimmer opted for a sleek black outfit, teaming a dark T-shirt with a matching sleek black leather jacket.

Meanwhile Simone also opted for the same colour scheme, sporting a casual T-shirt paired with a fun skirt.

With his caramel locks teased upwards, contrasting his darker facial hair, Ian flashed his signature smile for photographers at the event.

Simone, who recently signed on to star in Channel Ten's drama Wonderland, has been a friend of the swimmer's for many years.

Enjoying the sun: Looking very relaxed and in high spirits at the beachside bar's Sunset Cocktails Evening event, Ian happily posed for photos with his actress pal and another guest

The pair worked together in 2002 in Australian series Undercover Angels which was inspired by the Hollywood flick Charlie's Angels and also starred Jackie O and Katie Underwood.

Ian and Simone were two of many big names at the event, with other socialites present including Rebel Penfold Russell, Mark Cavanagh, Martin & Michelle Walsh, Gail Elliot & Joe Coffey. Maurice Terzeni & Lucy Hinckfuss, Joe Snell and Elke Kramer.

Guests were treated to a line up of refreshing cocktails with names like “chase the endless summer” and “get jolly roggered’’ and buckets of Corona and an array of seasonal bites.

Hot spot: The trendy bar located on Sydney's Bondi Beach hosted a special cocktails event for Sydneysiders

In the big Parkinson TV interview - for which Thorpe was rumoured to have been paid $550k - as well as coming out, the sportsman touched on his battle with depression which reached a point where he considered suicide, his struggle with fame, his ambitions and what he hopes the future may hold for him.

But it was Parkinson's highly-anticipated question that kept viewers waiting.

'You've always said that you're not gay. Is all of that true?' Parkinson asked.

'I've thought about this for a long time,' Thorpe said.

revelations: After coming out publicly in an interview with Sir Michael Parkinson back in July, Ian is spending time with those closest to him

I'm not straight: Ian Thorpe comes out to the world

'I'm not straight. And this is only something that very recently - in the past two weeks - I've been comfortable telling the closest people around me exactly that.'

The champion swimmer, who was first asked about his sexuality at the age of 16, acknowledged he had hid behind a 'convenient lie'.

'I didn't know at the stage, I was too young,' he said.

'I didn't accept it in myself. I didn't want to be gay. I was still gay at the end of the day.

'Yes, I lied about it. I'm comfortable saying I'm a gay man.'

After the interview aired, Simone took to social media to share her support for her good friend.

'I just spoke with #IanThorpe said how proud I was & how good he looked. It's been a tough time for him. "He is officially out ~ be free",' she wrote on her Twitter account.