Celebrities are notorious for "bearding up." This is a term used to refer to a gay person dating or marrying someone of the opposite gender to hide the fact of his or her s*xuality especially when he or she feels as if the masses do not approve of same-s*x relationships. Most celebrities who take too long to come out probably don't want to admit that the heart wants what it wants, and often take time to confirm their feelings beyond a doubt.

It is also common to have "beard" relationships between celebrities in the same production franchises who date each other to create a buzz, which works well for a period since it earns them a huge following. However, as soon as they are through playing their roles, they come out of the closet and give us the shock of our lives. Some lose their "beards" and express their desires openly, while others continue in their heteros*xual relationships even with overwhelming rumors following them everywhere.

However, some people have observed that some celebrities have seen just how the tables have turned in recent years, where gay celebrities are receiving so much attention and support from all circles and decide they want a piece of the action. Therefore, such celebrities claim to come out of the closet, which they were not in to begin with, and do so because it will favor their careers.

Here is a list of celebrities who notoriously dated people of the opposite gender, only to shock us and end up coming out of the closet as gay.

Rebecca De Alba Dated Ricky Martin

Rebecca de Alba is a beautiful model and TV presenter from Mexico. She spent a few years in Colorado studying journalism and later went back to Mexico to work on several TV shows including her very own talk show called Un Nuevo Día. When she participated in the Miss Mexico beauty pageant, she came in second place, and her beauty was undeniably the reason she performed so well. Later she became Avon's spokesperson and the first Bulgari representative from Mexico.

Rebecca is on this list because she dated Ricky Martin in an on-again off-again type of a relationship, for approximately 14 years. Although everyone knows Ricky Martin came out as gay, he described Rebecca in his book as "the perfect woman." Rebecca is now happily married to Michael Bednarsky. Since 2016, Ricky has been with his partner Jwan Yosef, a Swedish painter who currently lives in London and specializes in plastic arts.

Kassidy Cook Dated Tom Daley

Kassidy Cook is an amazing diver, who has won numerous diving championships since 2007. She used to be a part of the United States national diving team, where she competed in the Olympics in 2012 and 2016, missing the 2014 Olympics by only 0.4 points. In order to continue in her winning ways, Cook spends at least five hours training every day for six days every week. Currently, Cook is a student at Stanford University.

Cook is here because, at some point, her friendship with Tom Daley was more than just the average friendship, since it seemed as if they were dating. Although Tom has denied any romantic relationship with Cook, everyone including the British press could clearly see something was going on between these two. However, Tom came out as gay on YouTube a few years ago and just this year married Dustin Lance Black, an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.

Robert Pattinson Dated Kristen Stewart

If you were a fan of Twilight, you know how Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart looked perfect together. This film series established Pattinson as one of the most bankable and highest paid actors in Hollywood, with TIME magazine naming him one of the top 100 Most Influential People in The World in 2010.

Although their romance began on set and they hardly ever talked about their relationship offstage, these two were clearly in love, judging from the numerous photos we saw of them together and the eyewitness accounts of those around them. The first time Kristen acknowledged there was indeed something between them was when the Huffington Post published images of her and Rupert Sanders showing affection to each other when issuing an apology to Pattinson.

These two officially broke up and went their separate ways. Pattinson got into a relationship with FKA Twigs and got engaged in 2015, whereas Kristen recently came out as a lesbian.

Christine Taylor Dated Neil Patrick Harris

Christine Taylor started acting back in 1989, when she was just 18 years old, appearing in Hey Dude and later in a few episodes of Saved by the Bell, Life Goes On, Murphy Brown, and even in Friends. Some of the films she has featured in include The Wedding Singer, Zoolander, License To Wed, and The First Time among others.

Christine dated Neil Patrick Harris for a period, but they broke it off. Christine later married Ben Stiller, a celebrity she met on set, and they continued to work together on a number of films. These two have two children together, a daughter and a son, but earlier this year they decided to split up.

Neil Patrick Harris, on the other hand, came out as gay a few years back. He is now married to David Burtka, a fellow actor. Pamela Fryman, one of the directors of How I Met Your Mother officiated the wedding back in 2014.

Dania Ramirez Dated Zachary Quinto

Dania Ramirez is a film and TV actress who has appeared in films such as She Hate Me, X-Men: The Last Stand, Illegal Tender, American Reunion, and Mojave, among others. She has also been part of great TV productions including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Sopranos, Heroes, Devious Maids, as well as in the ongoing Once Upon a Time.

Dania is on this list because she once dated Zachary Quinto, but they never made strides towards getting married. Zachary is an actor and producer, who played the role of Sylar on Heroes. He has also been part of the Star Trek franchise, appearing in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond.

Zachary is with Miles McMillan, a man he started dating in 2013.

Mel Metcalfe Dated And Married Portia De Rossi 

Mel Metcalfe is a sound engineer, and he makes it to this list because he used to be married to Portia de Rossi. For his work in film, he has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Sound but is yet to win a single one. The marriage between these two lasted between 1996 and 1999 when Metcalfe apparently left de Rossi to be with her brother's wife.

According to an interview, de Rossi explained how her brother and his long-term girlfriend had just gotten married and moved into an apartment in the same complex where Metcalfe and her husband were living in. Metcalfe left de Rossi and soon afterward his brother's wife sabotaged their marriage to unite with him. De Rossi and her brother moved in together and she claimed she started feeling as if she was a lesbian.

De Rossi is now married to Ellen DeGeneres and appears to have completely moved on from the heartbreak.

Jussie Smollett Dated Raven-Symone

Most people know him as Jamal Lyon, owing to just how popular Empire is, but his real name is Jussie Smollett, and he has been acting since he was five years old, appearing in commercials as well as in films. Some notable films he has been in include The Mighty Ducks, The Skinny, and this year's Alien: Covenant. Although Jussie is yet to win a major award for his acting, it appears to be just a matter of time before he wins one, because he is a great actor.

Jussie Smollett is on this list because he once dated Raven-Symone, a singer, songwriter, producer, TV personality, and actress. Some of the most popular TV shows Raven has been on include The Cosby Show, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and That's So Raven. These two celebrities dated a few years back, but it's so interesting that both of them are now gay.

Carolyn Moos Dated Jason Collins

Fans of women's basketball need no introduction to Carolyn Moss. This tall lady used to play basketball in college as well as on the professional scene, but she retired and is now a personal trainer and nutritional consultant. When she was in the United States junior basketball team, she won gold in the Olympics and represented her country in several international competitions. She spent three years in the WNBA, playing for Minnesota Lynx, Miami Sol, and Phoenix Mercury.

Carolyn is on this list because she dated Jason Collins for eight years. These two were engaged and getting ready for marriage, but Collins broke it off. Apparently, when Collins came out as gay four years after breaking off his engagement to Carolyn, she claimed she had no idea he was gay, and only found out a few days before Collins publicly came out. As of 2014, Collins was dating Brunson Green.

Shelley Hennig Dated Thomas Dekker 

The adorable Shelley Hennig is a model and an actress who held the title of Miss Teen USA back in 2004. Some of her notable TV appearances include her role as Stephanie Johnson on the Drama series, Days of Our Lives, as Diana Meade in The Secret Circles, and as Milia Tate in Teen Wolf. She has received two Emmy Award nominations and won the Teens Choice Award in 2016.

Shelley is on this list because she was once in a relationship with Thomas Dekker. Thomas is also a TV and film actor, voice actor, and a musician. Some notable films he has been part of include Terminator: The Sarah Chronicles, A Nightmare on Elm Street and more. Dekker is now gay and he is married to Jesse Haddock.

Dave Hall Dated And Married Wanda Sykes

Dave Hall is an amazing music producer, whose work on Mary J. Blige's album What's the 411? set him apart from most other producers. He is also responsible for co-producing and co-writing a few of Madonna's tracks in her Bedtime stories album, as well as producing for Joe, Donell Jones, Usher, and CeCe Peniston. He also co-produced and co-wrote Mariah Carey's Fantasy and Dreamlover, which are two of her greatest hits, in addition to working with the group called Brownstone on their famous single Human Nature.

Dave is on this list because between 1991 and 1998 he was married to Wanda Sykes, the famous comedian, actress, and writer. In 2008, Sykes revealed she was interested in seeing girls, and that she had been seeing Alex Niedbalski for a while. They got married in 2009 and today have two children. Dave seems to be keeping his relationships private and he is yet to marry again.

Bryn Mooser Dated Maria Bello

Bryn Mooser is the co-founder of RYOT, a media company that specializes in the creation of virtual reality documentaries. For his work, he has received an Academy Award nomination for Best Dictionary Short in 2016 for the work he did on Body Team 12. However, Mooser is on this list because, in 2011, he dated and even got engaged to Maria Bello, but their relationship didn't work out and he hasn't publicly moved on into another relationship or planned to get married.

Maria Bello, on the other hand, has gone through many relationships since her time with Mooser. Before Mooser, she had dated Mariska Hargitay and Dan McDermot, and the same year they split up with him, she started dating Clare Munn. However, just last year reports in the media claimed she broke up with Clare to be with Elijah Allan-Blitz, a man who is 19 years younger than she is.

Colin Farrell Dated Michelle Rodriguez

We can't deny just how great Colin Farrell is as an actor, judging by his amazing performances on the big screen and the Golden Globe Award he won for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. His first appearance in a film was in the drama The War Zone. His performance led to other amazing leading roles in films such as Tigerland, Phone Booth, and S.W.A.T. Farrell has also played the role of a villain in 2003's Daredevil as Bullseye, and despite being a bad guy, he didn't disappoint.

Farrell is on this list because he is rumored to have dated Michelle Rodriguez, one of the core members of the Fast & Furious franchise. Although Michelle has threatened to leave the franchise if they don’t include more women, we can only hope she doesn't leave since she is great in it. Michelle and Farrell spent some time with each other during and after S.W.A.T., the film that apparently brought them together.

Tiffany Renee Darwish Dated Jonathan Knight

Tiffany Darwish used to be a teen icon back in the late 1980s, thanks to her music career, which peaked around this time. Tiffany received a lot of attention for hit songs including the cover of the 1967 original of I Think We're Alone Now, which she released in 1987 and became a downright teen anthem. Later on, she ventured into acting and appeared in films including Necrosis, Mega Piranha, and Mega Python vs. Gatoroid.

Tiffany makes it to this list because she dated Jonathan Knight, who is also a singer, who used to belong to the sensational boy band called New Kids on the Block. He was the first to leave the band before it split, and he was the oldest. Although these two dated a while back, today Jonathan is engaged to Harley Rodriguez.

Saffron Domini Burrows Dated Alan Cumming

Saffron Burrows is one of the most talented English-American actresses in Hollywood today and has had great success since making her first appearance in a 1991 film as a model. Since the 90s, she has appeared in numerous films including Miss Julie, Troy, Reign Over Me, The Bank Job, Knife Fight, and more. She has also been in numerous TV shows such as Boston Legal, My Own Worst Enemy, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and of course in Mozart in the Jungle, and many others.

A few years back, Burrows dated Alan Cumming, the Scottish American who, in addition to being an actor, is a great singer. Cumming has featured in numerous films and theater productions and won numerous awards for his performances, including an Atlantic Film Festival Best Actor award, a British Comedy Award for Top Television Newcomer, a Seattle International Film Festival Best Actor Award, and a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, and many more.

Although these two used to date, they each married an individual of the same sex. Today Cumming is married to his husband Grant Shaffer, who is an illustrator, and Burrows is married to Alison Balian, a TV producer.

Danielle Fishel Dated Lance Bass

If you watched Disney' Channel's Boy Meets World or the 2013 Girl Meets World sitcoms, then Danielle Fishel is not a stranger to you. Danielle is a chef, TV director, author, and an actress. Although she has been in many films and TV shows, she is PopSugar Girls Guide's resident reporter.

Danielle used to be with Lance Bass, a pop singer, producer, author, actor, and dancer, who became famous for being the bass singer in NSYNC, a very popular boy band. The boy band was extremely successful and this led to Lance even getting movie and TV roles.

In 2013, Danielle quietly married Tim Belusko, but they again quietly got a divorce back in 2016. On the other hand, Lance came out as gay in 2006 and released an autobiography titled Out of Sync a year later. In 2014, he got married to Michael Turchin.

Sources: dailymail.co.uk, huffingtonpost.com.