INTERVIEW | ANDREW HAYDEN-SMITH
He was the hottest lad on Cucumber bar none (sorrynotsorry Dino Fetscher). He’s got a steamy calendar on the way but we still can’t get enough of former Byker bad boy Andrew Hayden-Smith. We catch up with our favorite Geordie to talk Smash Hits and kicking K-9’s arse on The Weakest Link
“It’s incredibly flattering to have so many people decide you’re a heartthrob, especially when I’m in [Attitude’s Top 100] with so many fit men. I was thrilled to be in there. I’ve been bumped up from last year’s position; I think I was 70 last year so I’ve gone up a bit. I’m worried about the year when I don’t make it! “Do I think I should I be in the Top 100? No! I think I’m an alright looking bloke. I’m comfortable in my own skin and with my appearance now, I think. I work out at the gym a fair bit because that’s kind of what I need to be comfortable in myself. When I do go to the gym I’ve noticed I get one or two more job offers, which is incredibly fickle but that’s the entertainment business. “Growing up gay in the limelight was tough. When I was a kid on Byker I was doing the teen magazines from about the age of 14. Seeing myself in Smash Hits was crazy. I got kind of used to it, which sounds kind of weird and bigheaded and I don’t mean it to, but it’s what I’ve grown up with! “I knew I was gay from when I was very, very young. I got my part on Byker when I was about 12. I was doing lots of teen magazines, and in interviews the same old questions were, “Which celebrity girl do you fancy?” or “Do you have a girlfriend?”
And you have to answer those same old questions over and over. And you know you’re being fake, and you know you’re lying, but I suppose at the time it felt like survival. You’re doing what you think is the right thing to do. It’s bad enough coming to terms with it at that age, let alone being in the limelight and feeling a sense of responsibility on my shoulders. “When I was about 17 I started coming to terms with it, and coming round to the idea that being gay was okay. It was when I started going to London that really did it for me. I thought to myself “You know, this is really alright, actually!” And after that I was a very proud gay man! “It’s a shame I was almost outed in the press.I was going out to gay clubs at the same time as I was presenting CBBC. I met my first boyfriend when I started going out, I met some really good friends. I became a bit of regular on the gay scene in London. Loads of people knew I was gay, but it wasn’t really spoken about publically because I don’t think there were any out gay kid’s TV presenters back then. What followed was some lovely letters from parents of kids who used to watch me. “The hightlight of my career? [Laughs] Meeting K-9 when I did The Weakest Link!
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He was the first to go, bless him. It’s got to be Doctor Who. I had such a great time filming it. That was nearly 10 years ago and I still get to do things because of it. I get to go to conventions and meet fans from all over the world. Doctor Who is huge, and to be part of that family is absolutely brilliant. Before that Russell (T Davis) said he saw me on Byker and it all snowballed from there. “There aren’t enough gay characters on TV. There needs to be more. When Cucumber was on there was only that and Looking—which I’m a big fan of—that were gay shows focusing on gay lifestyles. It’s a good job we have soaps because that’s mainly where we have gay characters. “I’ve had a boyfriend for three years now. He runs a house music radio station called This Is Electric. We met when he was presenting on Gaydar Radio. I went in there for an interview and that’s how we met. “What are our plans for the future? We’ve talked about buying a house, and we know exactly what type of dog we’re going to get. We’re going to get a Boston terrier. He wants to call it ‘Squirrel’ which I’m not too keen on, but maybe I’ll come round to it. [Laughs]
WORDS | Kieran Clarke