Hollyoaks' Kieron Richardson: 'I'm gay'

Hollyoaks' Kieron Richardson: 'I'm gay'
Hollyoaks' Kieron Richardson: 'I'm gay' (Image credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Hollyoaks star Kieron Richardson revealed he is gay on the This Morning show on ITV1 on Wednesday. The Hollyoaks actor, who came third in this year's Dancing On Ice, spoke about his sexuality while talking about a new soap storyline which will see his character start a homosexual relationship. Kieron, who plays Ste Hay in the Channel 4 soap, said most of his family and friends already knew he was gay, but it was the first time he had said it publicly. "When I was on Dancing On Ice, newspapers speculated and tried to say we kind of know and if you want to say you can do your story with us and get it out there," he said. "At that point, my personal life took a back step and it was more about the competition and trying to get through the next week rather than get a few column inches in the newspaper and maybe raise my profile at the time. But it wasn't about that. "But now I feel that it's relevant and the storyline's relevant to some situations in my life then if maybe I can help people that are going through the same thing then it's a bonus." The new Hollyoaks storyline will see Ste kiss drug dealer Brendan Brady, played by Emmett J Scanlan, during a drunken evening. Ste is initially rejected, but the pair later start a relationship which he hinted would become violent. "I am gay in real life and at 20 years old I kind of accepted it myself and now I can finally relate to my character Ste that he's 20 and he's going through things that I went through in my past," said Kieron. "All the viewers know that Ste is now exploring his sexuality and turning gay." Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.