He acted in the musical, "A Tribute to the Blues Brothers," at the Whitehall Theatre in London, England with Con O'Neill, Warwick Evans, Greg Brown, and Liza Spenz in the cast.
In 1995, at the height of his Rugby League career, Ian came out as a gay man in US LGBT Publication 'The Advocate.' Ian was the first player in a competitive team sport to announce his homosexuality. Following his announcement, Ian's career went from strength to strength; indeed, he continued to represent Australia and was subsequently honored with the Captaincy of the North Queensland Cowboys.