Celebrity Traitors star Sebastian Croft reveals he left boarding school aged 16 after he was outed by a classmate he'd had a secret relationship with

Sebastian Croft has revealed he left boarding school aged 16 after he was outed by a classmate he'd had a secret relationship with. 

The Celebrity Traitors star, 24, opened up about his 'really lonely and difficult time' at a private school just outside of Oxford. 

At the time Sebastian was acting in the West End aged nine, cast in Game of Thrones at 14 and a star of Netflix's queer coming-of-age series Heartstopper from 2022.

But despite his success at a young age, he had a tough time growing up which involved years of being 'bullied and ostracised' during his time in education. 

Now speaking to The i Paper, the BBC star recalled the 'weirdly old-school experience' where his classmate he'd had a secret relationship with outed him. 

He said: 'I had a really difficult few years. I don't blame the other boy who did it, because he was obviously just also trying to navigate the fact that he was getting chipped for being gay. But it was a really lonely and difficult time in my life.

'I would leave school and be an actor and be doing the thing I loved the most, and be with other like-minded people, and feel so liberated in myself, and then I go back to school and be bullied and ostracised.'

Sebastian's experience of coming out publicly, during the first season run of Heartstopper, was a much nicer experience. 

'It was this chance that most people don't get. I got to go back and redo what would have been my sixth form, but with the most supportive group of people, doing the thing I loved in a show that celebrates that,' he added. 

The actor is about to release his first music, The Great Forever EP, later this week which is said to be based on his first proper relationship in 2023, rumoured to be with his Heartstopper co-star Joe Locke.

It was his first heartbreak and after three years together, the relationship was ended with a phone call while Sebastian was performing in a production of Amy Herzog's 4000 Miles in Chichester.

He admitted he was 'angry' and 'hurt' by the decision but chose to pour his heartbreak into his music. 

Sebastian also added that his lyrics are diary-like and were never for other people to hear because he used writing songs as 'an escape from school' during the period he 'started figuring out my sexuality'.

Despite only releasing music for the first time this week, Sebastian had huge success this summer where he opened for Lewis Capaldi at Hyde Park. 

He is also best known internationally for playing Ben Hope in Netflix's Heartstopper, while his other credits include portraying young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, as well as Horrible Histories: The Movie, and the film How To Date Billy Walsh.

Viewers of Celebrity Traitors enjoyed another two jam-packed episodes on Thursday and Friday night this week.

And fans are convinced that Ross Kemp will rumble the Traitors' latest murder mission as they called out Maya Jama and James Acaster's 'GCSE drama' yawning.

Friday's instalment of the BBC show ended with the Traitors tasked to murder in plain sight, with the group having to make a member of the Faithfuls yawn by boring them – thus sealing their fate.

In tense scenes, while King Kenny was distracted by Sharon Rooney, Maya and James managed to lure Ross and Jerry Hall into their room, with the pair seen engaging in 'boring' conversation while constantly yawning themselves in a bid to make the others follow suit.

However, fans at home have called out the pair over their 'ridiculously obvious actions', noting that a highly suspicious Ross will no doubt cotton on to their actions.

Taking to X, viewers expressed their fears that the Traitors would be called out by Ross, who has become known on the show for his intense paranoia.

They penned: 'With all the fake yawning, Ross clocked this. Could Maya or even James have slipped up? No-one has questioned Maya yet but this may start now.'

'Ross clocking Maya's GCSE drama yawning.'

'If that wasn't obvious I don't know what is.'

'I think they need it to be Ross because Jerry would be none the wiser. Ross looked suspicious there I think he'd think it's weird everyone kept yawning.'

'This is dangerous if Ross doesn't yawn, Jerry wouldn't clock Ross dying but Ross would absolutely clock the murderer.'

'Ross is suspicious, as always, think he's gonna clock Maya.'

'Thing is whether it's jerry or ross who go the person who survived surely is gonna be suspicious of what went down in that room bc the excessive yawning etc was Extremely odd.'

'Maya's yawning is so ridiculously obvious lmao.'

It came after Joe Lycett cemented his own downfall after calling to be recruited as a Traitor, and he was banished from the castle on Friday – revealing he had been a Faithful all along.

Standing before the group at the roundtable, Joe, 38, said: 'Absolutely loved it. Like a total dream.

'I do sort of feel like we are all a family now and, as such, expect to be in all of your wills. Very sad to be going, but what a wonderful group of people.

'I always wanted to start as a Faithful and end as a Traitor. I started as a Faithful, and I did not get my wish. I am a Faithful.'

But while Joe may have taken his banishment in good humour, his departure proved far more emotional for one of his fellow contestants.

Miranda, 53, who had formed a close bond with Joe, broke down in tears.