Heartstopper star Kit Connor says he was ‘forced’ to come out publicly

Heartstopper actor Kit Connor has announced he is bisexual and suggested he was “forced” to come out publicly.

The 18-year-old actor stars as Nick Nelson in the Netflix coming-of-age drama series, which sees his character meet Charlie Spring, played by Joe Locke, at school and fall in love.

The LGBT series, based on the popular graphic novels by Alice Oseman, has been renewed for seasons two and three after becoming a hit this year.

Late on Monday evening, Connor wrote on Twitter: “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.”

It came after he announced in early September that he was quitting Twitter, describing the platform as “silly”.

His decision to come out was met with a wave of support from some of his more than one million followers.

Oseman wrote: “I truly don’t understand how people can watch Heartstopper and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes.

“I hope all those people are embarrassed as f***. Kit you are amazing.”

His co-star Locke added: “You owe nothing to anyone. I’m so proud of you my friend.”

Connor did not say anything further about what or who had “forced” him to go public about his sexuality.

The cast of Heartstopper have been vocal in their support of LGBT issues, with some taking to the streets in London during this summer’s Pride celebrations.

After the series launched on Netflix in April, it developed a large fan base and reached the streaming service’s top 10 list in 54 countries.

In May, Netflix announced that it had renewed the show for a further two seasons.