Heartstopper’s Joe Locke says tabloid interest in teenage cast’s love lives is ‘gross and perverted’

Actor’s comments come after co-star Kit Connor was ‘forced’ to come out as bisexual last week

Heartstopper’s Joe Locke has said that tabloid interest in the teenage cast’s love lives is “gross and perverted”.

The actor stars in Netflix’s hit teen romcom, which has been widely praised for its positive portrayal of LGBTQ+ issues and its central relationship.

Last week, his 18-year-old co-star and on-screen love interest Kit Connor was forced to come out as bisexual after some fans accused him of “queerbaiting” after he was pictured holding hands with a female co-star.

Speaking to British GQ, Locke said that he had personally struggled with interest from the media in who he might be dating too.

“The idea of a tabloid being interested in a teenager’s love life is really gross,” he said.

“Someone making money out of rumours about who I – an 18-year-old boy – might be liking or talking to, it’s really gross and perverted. I’m 18… I don’t know who I am yet.”

Connor had quit Twitter at the time of the interview but was yet to return to come out, and said that leaving the platform had been “the best decision of my life”.

“Social media is not a window into my soul at all,” he said. “In many ways it’s great, but as someone who’s in the public eye, if you look for people saying bad stuff about you, you’ll find it.”

Admitting that he would sometimes seek out negative comments, Connor continued: “You want to know what people are saying. Everyone wants to be liked, which is slightly heartbreaking when you’re in the position of someone like me or Joe.”

While the majority of the Heartstopper cast are queer, Connor had been reluctant to label his sexuality since the show was released in April.

Connor (left) and Locke (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

In an interview with W Magazine in June, he said: “To speculate about a person’s sexuality is so dangerous, especially for someone at my age of 18, it’s a bit strange for me to see. If I haven’t said anything, you shouldn’t assume anything, but you also shouldn’t pressure me to tell people. It’s a very personal journey that people have to go on.”

In his tweet shared on Monday 31 October, Connor posted: “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.”

He was widely supported by his Heartstopper castmates, while fans of the show expressed their horror that he had felt pressured into labelling his sexuality before he was ready.

Heartstopper is on Netflix now.