Evangelical Christian sparks anger after suggesting Tom Daley is gay because his father died

A prominent evangelical Christian has been criticised by members of her own faith after reportedly hinting that Olympic diver Tom Daley is gay because his father died.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, founder of Christian Concern, is said to have used Daley as an example of how "the lack of a father" can lead to homosexual feelings.

Speaking to Christian conservatives in Jamaica, Mrs Williams reportedly said it was a "big lie" that homosexuality was natural and inborn.

According to the news website Buzzfeed, she also warned that Britain's decision to repeal its sodomy laws had led to more permissive laws around the age of consent.

Urging Jamaicans to uphold its laws against same-sex intercourse, she said: "Once you strip away all this stuff, what you get is no age consent … nobody ever enforces that law anymore."

Daley, 19, who has revealed he is in a gay relationship, has so far not responded to the remarks.

But speaking to The Independent, Martin Warner, the Bishop of Chichester, where Mrs Williams was elected to the General Synod in 2011, condemned the comments, saying they "should be rejected as offensive and unacceptable".

Dr Keith Sharpe, commenting on behalf of Changing Attitudes, an Anglican body calling for full equality for LGB&T people, added that the "bigoted outburst amounts to dangerous hatemongering".

A spokesperson for Mrs Williams told The Independent she was unavailable for comment yesterday.

This week Daley tweeted a behind-the-scenes picture of his 2014 calendar shoot.

The teenager said he was "terrified" about the public's reaction to his bisexuality in an interview with Jonathan Ross this month.

But the presenter of ITV's reality diving show Splash, who is rumoured to be house hunting in Stratford with boyfriend Dustin Lance Black, added the support from his fans had been "amazing".