Highlights
- Croft opened up about being outed by a secret partner at his boarding school before withdrawing at sixteen years old.
- The actor confirmed his three-year romance with Joe Locke ended via an abrupt phone call during a theater run.
- Croft poured his heartbreak into his debut EP The Great Forever, taking its name from Locke’s comforting phrase.
Sebastian Croft is taking center stage on BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors UK while finally addressing the private struggles that shaped his adolescence. The actor and musician opened up about surviving high school bullying, being outed at 16, and the devastating conclusion of his romance with Joe Locke.
Before capturing national attention on screen, Croft endured intense bullying at a boarding school outside Oxford. He ultimately withdrew at age 16 after a classmate he was secretly seeing exposed his sexuality, an ordeal he remembers as “a weirdly old-school experience.”
Songwriting became his solitary lifeline during those difficult school years. Croft revealed he started penning tracks at age nine, using the process as “an escape from school” during the period he “started figuring out my sexuality.”
Because his lyrics were so vulnerable, he chose to keep his music hidden from the world. “I’d always thought of them as an outlet,” Croft explained. “They weren’t really for other people to hear. They were very much for me.”
Years later, Croft found himself in a high-profile orbit when dating rumors began circulating between him and his former co-star. Joe Locke. Fans had long speculated about their connection, and a close friend confirmed the pair shared a private romance for “almost three years.”
“Bash and Joe never made their relationship public, although Heartstopper fans had guessed they were dating,” a mutual friend revealed. The source added that “when Joe left him, Bash was heartbroken” because “Joe was his first great love.”
The relationship reportedly unraveled in the summer of 2023 with an unexpected phone call. Croft was performing in a Chichester production of Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles when the conversation took place.
“It hurts, but also the truth is there’s not a good way to deliver news like that,” Croft stated. “For a long time, I was angry about the how.”
The actor confessed that processing the sudden dismissal proved far more devastating than the manner of delivery. “But the truth is, the thing that hurts is the why, which is the reason,” Croft explained. “When they reach the point where ‘I’ve decided my life is more interesting when I don’t have you in it,’ that could not hurt more.”
Rather than letting the grief fester, the performer turned directly to music to navigate the emotional fallout. Releasing singles as Bash Croft, he noted, “The EP has matured and found its footing as I have as an artist.”
The upcoming project, titled The Great Forever, pulls its evocative name directly from what Locke used to tell him. “The Great Forever is something Joe would say to Bash when they were in a relationship,” the insider shared.
The friend noted that Croft “channelled all those feelings into this new EP, the songs are incredibly emotional and give an insight into everything that happened.” The tracks offer listeners an unfiltered window into his first real heartbreak.
Between competing on The Celebrity Traitors UK and co-running the charity Queer Was Always Here, Croft is reclaiming his story with profound vulnerability. “Bash is so proud of The Great Forever and when his fans hear it, they’ll understand what he’s been through,” his friend said.
