You might be confused by JoJo Siwa’s sexuality but it’s simple

After three weeks in Celebrity Big Brother, JoJo Siwa has come closer to discovering who she really is than ever before – but sadly, there has been a casualty along the way.

Just hours after the Celebrity Big Brother final, JoJo’s partner, fellow influencer Kath Ebbs, confirmed their split in a candid video.

It came after weeks of speculation around JoJo’s relationship with former Love Island star Chris Hughes.

They have been inseparable, can’t keep their hands off each other and in many circumstances, it wouldn’t take a body language expert to tell us ‘they’re into each other’.

But this isn’t any ordinary circumstance.

JoJo was a brand by the time she was a very young teenager (Picture: Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock for Big Brother)

JoJo is a 21-year-old child star who has been imprisoned in an industry telling her who and how to be.

Her mother was famously a dance teacher, and quickly became a reality star on the brutal series Dance Moms.

While most children who appear on similarly odd reality shows see their star quickly fade, JoJo was a brand by the time she was a very young teenager, releasing hit singles, appearing in films and TV shows, all as this larger-than-life personality with a sequinned face and questionable choreography.

For better or worse, her life has been extraordinary and, weirdly, it appears she found some normality in Celebrity Big Brother.

Naturally, her tactile friendship with Chris raised suspicions both inside and outside the house but as someone who has spooned many if not all of their straight friends, it all looked perfectly normal to me.

Naturally her tactile friendship with Chris raised suspicions (Picture: ITV) Perhaps there was more to JoJo and Chris (Picture: ITV)

Turns out, perhaps there was more to JoJo and Chris, and some seem to be relishing in being ‘proven right’.

Honestly, and I never imagined I’d ever say this about JoJo ‘I invented gay pop’ Siwa, but I just think she’s amazing either way.

And that’s the long and short of it. JoJo is young and figuring herself out – and everyone confused about her sexuality should try and accept that.

Confirming her split with JoJo, Kath claimed that before the show, JoJo said they wanted to get married, and they were ‘adored’.

I think JoJo probably believed that’s how she felt, and told Kath that’s how she felt.

Kath claims JoJo said they wanted to get married, and they were ‘adored’ (Picture: Don Arnold/WireImage)

I don’t want to disregard any of the hurt I’m sure Kath is feeling – I would feel the same way, as would anyone else. They flew from gorgeous Australia to a grubby part of West London just to be dumped at an afterparty where they knew no one.

A person after my own heart, the next day they were asking Brits for recommendations for the capital’s best gay bars. Sadly, it’s not 2010, most of them are closed and they probably ended up in an All Bar One.

I feel for Kath who is, as far as I can tell, completely blameless in this split.

JoJo appeared on This Morning today where she shared her side of the break-up, while sat beside the man she now calls her ‘soulmate’, Chris.

She told hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard: ‘I realised things I was OK with in my life that I should have never been OK with’, adding that she wanted to ‘fix things’ in her life.

‘I realised how not great things were, that I was pretending were great,’ she said.

JoJo and Chris appeared on This Morning (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Inevitably, people are confused by JoJo’s sexuality. I understand that. I don’t think it matters or is anyone else’s business, but I’m not surprised in the level of interest.

I can’t speak for JoJo but I can speak for myself, someone who took three decades to really feel comfortable in who they are, largely because of their sexuality.

I know and trust I am a gay man, I can’t imagine that ever changing, but life is hopefully long and who knows how I’ll spend my final years, and who with.

JoJo is 21, but not like any other 21-year-old. For most people, three weeks in Celebrity Big Brother house with total strangers including a former Hollywood icon making homophobic remarks would feel like a glowed-up prison sentence.

Kath Ebbs was dumped at an afterparty where they knew no one (Picture: Kath Ebbs/Instagram)

For JoJo, it was clearly the most freedom she’s ever had.

Days into her stay, she came out as non-binary, albeit with some trepidation, not wanting to offend any non-binary people until she was certain.

She later realised she felt more connected to the label ‘queer’ than lesbian.

In just three weeks, she found pieces of her own puzzle that had been missing her whole life – imagine what she’d have found if she’d been in there any longer.

But it’s no wonder she is unlocking the chains of her life one by one in pursuit of freedom and a journey of self-identity.

She’s started on her path of working out who she is and right now, in whatever capacity, as she started it with Chris, it makes total sense she’d want him there by her side.

She’s started on her path of working out who she is (Picture: ITV)

When I was almost exactly her age, I too found comfort from straight men guiding me and helping me discover who I was and who I wanted to be. That guidance came in the most unlikely of places when I previously found straight men so scary, but perhaps that was why it was so special.

There might, however, be more to their relationship, which some members of the LGBTQ+ community appear to be let down by.

(I would argue the most problematic part of any potential romantic relationship would be the 11-year age gap).

But the rumours have been sent into overdrive following today’s This Morning, when JoJo was asked if she wanted her relationship with Chris to be ‘more than platonic’.

She cryptically said: ‘Whatever life does, life will do.’

In just three weeks, she found pieces of her own puzzle that had been missing her whole life(Picture: Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock for)

Critics have suggested she’s being flippant with her sexuality, but the reality is, she’s right. No one can say with total confidence they know who they will be tomorrow, next week or a year later. We’d like to, but life has a funny way of proving us wrong.

I feel more confident each day that I know who I am, but that doesn’t mean I’ll always be the same person.

JoJo, however, is on an accelerated course in self-identity. It must feel like a total whirlwind few of us could ever imagine, coming out of the confinements of her life to find freedom in a TV studio with a Love Island star.

Whatever happens between JoJo and Chris, and at this point I wouldn’t want to suggest I have any idea either way, it will come from a place of empowerment.

It will come from a person who, for the first time, is taking control, working out who she is – and that’s not just OK, it’s actually quite beautiful to watch.

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