Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey has said that being able to hold his boyfriend’s hand in public is more important to him than getting a part.

Bailey, who came out as gay in 2018, added he had previously heard warnings that coming out could negatively affect his career.

The 33-year-old portrays Viscount Anthony Bridgerton in the raunchy Netflix show, one of eight siblings of a powerful family who are navigating their way through the 1800s in London.

The actor told GQ Hype: “I reached a point where I thought: ‘F*** this,’ I’d much prefer to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public or be able to put my own face picture on Tinder and not be so concerned about that, than getting a part.”

He added that an actor friend of his had been told about certain limitations in terms of what people in power expect.

Bailey, from Wallingford in Oxfordshire, said: “At the time he was told: ‘There’s two things we don’t want to know: if you’re an alcoholic or if you’re gay.’”

He added: “All it takes is for one of those people in that position of power to say that, and it ripples through, so, yeah, of course I thought that.

“Of course I thought that in order to be happy, I needed to be straight.”

He also discussed the influence his personal life has on his acting, but how he still manages to maintain his privacy.

The actor said: “You put your life experiences into (the work). What’s most interesting is not necessarily having to talk about what that is, and keeping a sense of privacy.”

Bailey also said he does not see himself as a sex-symbol, and called any actor who does see themselves as such, “cringe”.