'Heartstopper's Kit Connor, Joe Locke share struggles with social media, 'gross' tabloids

Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Heartstopper stars Kit Connor and Joe Locke are sharing their struggles with social media and "gross" tabloid coverage.

Connor, 18, and Locke, 19, discussed the struggles of being in the public eye in an interview with British GQ published Tuesday.

Connor and Locke play Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring on Heartstopper, a coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama on Netflix. The series is based on the Alice Oseman web comic and follows the romance between schoolmates Nick (Connor) and Charlie (Locke).

Heartstopper premiered in April and was an instant hit with critics and fans, catapulting Connor and Locke to fame.

In the interview, Connor said he quit Twitter after being accused of "queerbaiting," or benefiting from people thinking he was LGBTQ without belonging to the community.

"Social media is not a window into my soul at all... so [it] was the best decision of my life," the actor said.

"In many ways [social media is] great, but as someone who's in the public eye, if you look for people saying bad stuff about you, you'll find it," he added. "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."

Connor publicly came out as bisexual following the interview, telling fans he felt forced to do so.

In the interview, Locke said the show's success has also brought him unwanted attention.

"The idea of a tabloid being interested in a teenager's love life is really gross," he said. "Someone making money out of rumors about who I -- an 18-year-old boy -- might be liking or talking to, it's really cross and perverted."

"I'm 18... I don't know who I am yet," he added.

Heartstopper started production on Season 2 in September. Netflix added three new cast members to the season last week.