Heartstopper’s Kit Connor opens up about his ’empowering’ coming out
"I also don’t know if I would have ever done it. But at the end of the day, I don’t regret it," says the Heartstopper star.
Heartstopper‘s Kit Connor has opened up about coming out as bisexual, an experience he has described as “empowering.”
The 19-year-old actor, who plays Nick Nelson in the Netflix adaptation of Alice Oseman’s webcomic, came out in November 2022.
It followed months of speculation about his sexuality after starring in the LGBTQ YA series. It also followed accusations of ‘queerbaiting’.
After disappearing from Twitter, Connor returned to tweet: “back for a minute. i’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. bye.”
Speaking to British Vogue recently, the young actor said: “I just needed to let that energy out.”
He also said he didn’t feel “forced” into coming out, but he would have preferred “to do it another way.”
Connor continued: “I also don’t know if I would have ever done it. But at the end of the day, I don’t regret it. In many ways, it was really empowering.”
Delving further into his journey with his sexuality the actor said it had been a “natural process” with no “‘Oh sh*t’ moment.”
Thankfully, his family was very accepting although there were issues with his all-boys school, which Connor has described as “a very heteronormative atmosphere,” that wasn’t “hugely inclusive.”
He was also acutely aware of people’s views of bisexuality. “It’s the experience of maybe you’re too straight to be gay and you’re too gay to be straight. So it’s like, ‘Where do I sit?’ But I feel much more secure in myself now.”
Elsewhere Connor commented on reactions from fans to the show and how lucky he feels to be part of a show “you feel actually has an impact on people.” He added, “I feel super lucky to have been able to do it.”
Vogue also spoke to his Heartstopper co-star, Olivia Colman, who said of Connor: “Kit has got it all. Talent, humility and he’s clearly beautiful, not that that matters, but he’s beautiful on the inside too. And that’s the most impressive thing about him.”
See the full feature in the August issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 18 July.