TikTok sensation Luke Hamnett on childhood bullying: ‘There is light at the end of the tunnel’

Most know Luke Hamnett from going viral on TikTok with his comedic sketches. With more than two million followers across TikTok and Instagram, it’s fair to call him a social media sensation. 

Before his online fame, Luke worked as a secondary school teacher and an insurance salesman. What he has spoken about less publicly is his childhood and the detrimental impact bullying had on him. 

Countless studies have found that homophobic bullying in schools remains widespread. Research by Stonewall found that almost one in four LGBTQ+ pupils experience online bullying, while 55 per cent of LGBTQ+ students report having experienced homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying. 

The 33-year-old recalled that bullying at school began when he was around five, meaning he didn’t understand why people were saying such horrible things about him. 

“I relayed it to my parents,” he said of being bullied at school, adding: “They were really supportive and used to go into the school and try to help me as much as possible.

“I looked like the typical person you would bully: I had ginger hair, glasses, goofy teeth and I was gay – well, I was trying to deal with my sexuality.” 

He said that bullying continued into high school, but as he got older he began using humour as “a defence mechanism”.  “I used to try to make them laugh as much as possible in order to get in on the joke rather than being the joke, even though it did hurt me a lot.” 

‘It’s sad looking back’

Luke first came out to his close friend at 15. “I didn’t know what my feelings were and it really scared me, especially coming out in 2007 – the world has since changed.” 

He didn’t come out to a lot of people at the time, but remembers a fellow student at school who did. 

“He got so much hate for it. They used to shout loads of stuff at him and I remember thinking he was so brave because I knew I was gay too, and I didn’t want the same heat.” 

At times, Luke said he felt he might never be able to live as his true self. Instead of staying at the sixth form at his secondary school, he decided to move away so he could be himself. 

Back then, he sometimes wished he were straight, saying it “felt like my life would be easier”. 

“It’s sad looking back. I wouldn’t even dream of thinking that now,” he added. 

‘I lived in fear for 15 years of my life’

Now a proud, openly gay man, he no longer cares what people think. 

“I lived in fear for 15 years of my life, constantly getting bullied. Then I moved away and became myself. Now I just don’t listen,” he said to any hate he may receive. 

“I’m sticking up for him,” he added, referring to the younger version of himself and the fact he is now living the life he once dreamed of. 

Those experiences, he said, shaped who he is today. But would he change his past? 

“No, because it’s made me the person I am: someone who is strong, knows what he wants and is unapologetically himself,” he said. 

“Humour is protection and a power. I always make light of situations, even if someone is having a sad time around me, I try to make them laugh. It’s a bit like my superpower. 

“I want people to look at my Instagram and TikTok as escapism. Someone might be going through a tough time and go on there and have a laugh. A laugh just makes everything better.” 

‘It does get easier’

Some of his former bullies have reached out to him, one to apologise after Luke’s boyfriend confronted him and he later had a child, which made him reflect on the cruelty of bullying. 

“Some of them I just completely ignore,” he said of his former bullies getting back in touch. As for the one who apologised, he added: “As long as it makes him sleep better at night.” 

To anyone experiencing bullying, or knows someone who is, Luke said: “There is light at the end of the tunnel.”

“It does get easier, but confide in someone,” he advised, adding that it’s always important to reach out to the school as sometimes a change in environment can help. 

“Just speak to someone, because you shouldn’t be facing it on your own,” he concluded. 

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