I Kissed a Boy couple Ollie King and Dan Harry Glendinning announce split
I Kissed a Boy stars Ollie King and Dan Harry Glendinning have broken up. (Getty/Dave Benett)
The longest-lasting couple to come out of the BBC’s first gay dating show I Kissed A Boy, Ollie King and Dan Harry Glendinning, have announced that they have split up – and love is officially dead.
Ollie King and Dan Harry Glendinning, both 27, appeared on the groundbreaking queer BBC reality show earlier this year. After Glendinning entered the Italian masseria as a late arrival, King immediately took a shine to him, and the pair began a whirlwind romance that took them all the way to the series finale.
The palpable chemistry between the pair also cemented them as firm fan favourites. One steamy shower scene in particular, in which King and Glendinning kissed with, ahem, passion, sent gay Twitter into a meltdown.
I Kissed a Boy host Dannii Minogue was also evidently a fan, as she was regularly seen gushing over the pair and their flirty connection.
In the show’s final episode, the reunion, it was revealed that King and Glendinning were the only couple out of four who had remained together, eight months after filming.
However, King has now shared a statement with fans to let them know that he and Glendinning have officially parted ways after a year together.
“Folks, it feels weird to be making a ‘public’ announcement about something so personal,” he began in a post on Instagram Stories earlier this week.
“But since many of you have been on the journey and supported us since day one, I want to let you know that Dan and I aren’t together anymore. We are still mates and there’s no bad blood, we’ll still be hanging out, etc.”
He thanked his supporters for cheering him and Glendinning on throughout the “crazy” year since I Kissed a Boy was filmed.
“We both want to move forward and will massively appreciate you respecting that this is a vulnerable thing for us to share,” he added.
Glendinning is yet to release his own statement on their separation.
He is currently taking part in a year-long HIV vaccine trial, which aims to find out if a vaccination could create immunity to HIV for HIV negative adults. As part of the trial, he will be exposed to a genetically engineered version of the HIV infection.
The TV star said his reasoning for wanting to take part in the trial “really comes from a place of gratitude for the previous generations of my community”.
He told PinkNews earlier this month: “The people who have fought for the rights that I have today, so I can – for example – kiss boys on TV, I want to do this as a thank you for them, because they fought so hard for us to be who we are today and to live the lives that we live today.”
Following on from the success of I Kissed a Boy, a spin-off series entitled I Kissed a Girl has been announced by the BBC, and will air in 2024.
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