Heartstopper’s Kit Connor on sexuality: ‘I don’t feel like I need to label myself’

Words: Alastair James; pictures: Netflix

Heartstopper‘s Kit Connor has said he is “perfectly confident and comfortable” with his sexuality and says he doesn’t feel the need to put a label on things. 

The actor, 18, has faced speculation about his sexuality online after playing high-schooler Nick Nelson in the Netflix series based on Alice Oseman’s popular web-comic. 

Kit previously shut down such speculation on Twitter and did so again while speaking on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast recently.

“I’m perfectly confident and comfortable in my sexuality”

Commenting on the reaction he said “for the most part” the response to the show had been “overwhelmingly supportive”. But he said there had been trolls and negative comments, which he said can be easier to focus on.

Addressing the speculation Kit said it was odd how people were making assumptions about him and others in the cast.

“In the cast, we’re all young – I’m 18 – we have a few people in their early twenties as well and even those older members of the cast we’re still all so young and to start speculating about our sexualities and maybe pressuring us to come out when maybe we’re not ready.

“I mean, for me, I just feel like I’m perfectly confident and comfortable in my sexuality, but I’m not too big on labels and things like that. I’m not massive about that. And I don’t feel like I need to label myself, especially not publicly,” he continued.

Kit also says that in 2022, “It feels a bit strange to make assumptions about a person’s sexuality just based on hearing their voice or seeing their appearance. I feel like that’s a very interesting, slightly problematic sort of assumption to make.”

Earlier this month Kit shut down speculation about his sexuality on Twitter saying: “twitter is so funny man. apparently some people on here know my sexuality better than I do…”

twitter is so funny man. apparently some people on here know my sexuality better than I do…

— Kit Connor (@kit_connor) May 2, 2022

Fans rushed to his defence posting panels from Oseman’s Heartstopper web-comic where a teacher admonishes Nick Nelson’s fellow pupils for speculating about his sexuality. 

Joe Locke, who plays Charlie Spring in the show, also addressed those speculating about Kit’s sexuality.

Speaking to Attitude on the red carpet at the Virgin Media BAFTAs in London on Sunday 8 May.

He told us: “I think people ask questions but it doesn’t give them a right to know everything about everyone’s private life. “When someone’s in the public eye some people assume that they’re ok with their private lives being public. Just because you’re in something doesn’t mean you want your life spread around the Internet.”

The Attitude May/June issue is out now.