High School Musical star Zac Efron can “handle” being called gay.


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The 20-year-old actor – who found fame playing basketball-loving Troy Boltonin the Disney Channel’s hit franchise High School Musical – is frequently accused of being homosexual by gossip bloggers, but insists he can cope with the rumours.

He told Details magazine: “Honestly, if the worst these people can say about me is that I’m gay, then I think I’ll be fine. I can handle it.”

Zac has also been receiving criticism from his Hollywood peers. Fantastic Four actress Jessica Alba recently revealed she thought Zac looked like “a child with a lot of make-up on” when she met him at Los Angeles’ Teen Choice Awards last year, while girlfriend and High School Musical co-star Vanessa Hudgens reportedly pleaded with him to stop spending so much time on his appearance.

Meanwhile, Zac is recovering in Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following an emergency appendectomy on Tuesday (15.01.08).

His agent confirmed the teen heartthrob was “recuperating” following the surgery, and is expected to recover in time to present an award at the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Award on January 27.