Former *NSync-er dating 'Amazing Race' winner Lehmkuhl

Former boy-band star Lance Bass has gone public with the fact that he's gay.

Bass, who set preteen hearts aflutter as a member of *NSync, kept quiet about his sexuality during his time with the group because he "knew that if I ever acted on it ... it would overpower everything," he tells People magazine in the cover story of this week's issue.

"I didn't know: Could that be the end of *NSync? So I had that weight on me of like, 'Wow, if I ever let anyone know, it's bad.' So I just never did," he tells the magazine.

Four years removed from the group's last work together, though, Bass is now comfortable talking about his sexuality. He says he's in a "very stable" relationship with former "Amazing Race" winner Reichen Lehmkuhl. He also says he's working on an "Odd Couple"-like sitcom with former bandmate Joey Fatone.

UPN was developing the show earlier this year, but it fell by the wayside when the network merged with The WB to form The CW.

Rumors that Bass is gay have popped up from time to time in the past. Coming out not only defuses gossips but also, he says, lifts a burden he's been carrying.

"The thing is, I'm not ashamed -- that's the one thing I want to say. I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this," he tells People. "I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life. I'm just happy."