Following the protests of PETA over his choice of a fur-trimmed ensemble at last month’s U.S. Nationals, figure skater Johnny Weir tells Reuters he’s reduced to living in the Olympic communal village after “all these crazy fur people changed my mind.”

“Security wise, staying in a hotel would be very difficult,” Weir told reporters after turning up for an 0800 news conference sporting a striking red and white silk scarf looped around his neck and with his nails manicured.

“There have been threats against me. Threats of harming me personally and I didn’t want to get hurt. So I decided to stay in the village and my team has made it as comfortable as possible.

Weir, who plans to join the fashion world once he has hung up his “leather skates made of cow” for good, felt he was unfairly targeted.

“There was a lot of attention put on a tiny piece of fur,” said the 25-year-old, the 2008 world bronze medalist. “While I do understand anti-fur activists views about fur and the fur industry, they aren’t part of my life.

“One thing that is horrible is when somebody pushes a belief on you like a religion. I was definitely threatened and felt very threatened. People are nuts.

“I’m an easy person to pick on because I’m very open I like fur and I like things that come from dead animals. It’s easy put your cause against an athlete going to the Olympic Games, it’s good free publicity for these activists.”