How Heartstopper’s Kit Connor became a luxury fashion darling in 2023: the Gen Z style icon is a Loewe muse and besties with Elton John – but got his big break thanks to a Sainsbury’s ad
- The 19-year-old actor shot to stardom with his breakout role as Nick Nelson in the hit Netflix LGBT romantic drama series, then sat front row at Loewe’s spring/summer 2024 menswear show in Paris
- He starred in 2014 British Christmas comedy Get Santa, is good friends with his Rocketman co-star Taron Egerton, and came out as bisexual last year – although under less than ideal circumstances
Kit Connor has come a long way from being the ginger boy next door growing up in a borough of South London.
Without a doubt, it’s been one heart-stopper of a summer for Connor and his equally attractive, talented young castmates, who took over red carpets and runways one step at a time. Connor, 19, first caught our eye sitting front row at Loewe men’s spring/summer 2024 show in Paris back in June; just a few months later, he’s now graced the cover of Teen Vogue and been named as one of British GQ’s Men of the Year (side by side with none other than his on-screen boyfriend in Heartstopper, Joe Locke).
As Connor’s star inevitably continues to rise, we break down everything you need to know about the young actor ahead of his highly anticipated upcoming projects, including an adaptation of popular young adult novel A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow and – of course – season three of Heartstopper.
Kit Connor’s first big break was a Sainsbury’s advertisement
In an August interview with British Vogue, Connor revealed that he owes his early beginnings to an unlikely place: British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s.
While the young star shared that his parents were initially against him pursuing an acting career, they took a chance on letting him appear in a Sainsbury’s ad nearly a decade ago, and the rest is now history. Connor’s first feature film appearance, the 2014 British Christmas comedy Get Santa, followed soon after.
He may be an A-list actor, but he still struggles in social situations
Even though his parents may have been hesitant to let him pursue acting as a profession, it turns out they may have been the ones who helped inspire that passion in the first place.