Dear Sharon Gaffka: How do I tell someone I’m not romantically interested without disclosing my sexuality?-Louise Griffin and Cydney Yeates-Entertainment – Metro

Sharon Gaffka has shared her wisdom in our agony aunts series (Picture: Getty)

Sharon Gaffka hit our screens in style on the seventh series of Love Island last year, and has since given us all the tea on what it’s really like in the villa.

Shortly after her time in the villa, she came out as bisexual, revealing she opened up to fellow contestant Faye Winter about her sexuality in unaired scenes.

Since, she’s also used her platform to campaign about important causes, including raising awareness of drink spiking after she was spiked herself.

Today, Sharon has been unveiled Metro.co.uk’s LGBTQ+ agony aunt.

She’s on hand to offer advice to one reader on how to tell someone they’re not romantically interested without disclosing their sexuality.

Dear Sharon,

I have recently come out to myself as gay, and I want to explore aspects of my sexuality. Besides telling a few close friends, I haven’t yet really told many people because I don’t feel ready. I’ve recently been asked out by someone of the opposite gender, who I had fancied in the past. How can I tell them that I’m not romantically interested while not disclosing my sexuality?

Sharon hit our screens on Love Island last year (Picture: ITV)

Dear anonymous,

Firstly, congratulations on coming out! Discovering who you are is one of life’s most confusing experiences, despite your age! Accepting that you aren’t heterosexual is huge, so coming out, even to your friends isn’t easy. I am proud of you!

I think it is important to reinforce, to anyone else reading this, that you do things on YOUR terms! More importantly, when you are ready, you do not owe anyone an explanation. Ever!

I think honesty is the best policy in this scenario, which you can do without disclosing your sexuality. I’m unsure of your relationship, but my advice would be to tell them that you don’t see them romantically or that you only see them as a friend and wouldn’t want to jeopardise that. In my hetero-romantic relationships, I have wasted time on people that I am not interested in, because I fear hurting their feelings, the older I’ve become the more I’ve realised 1) by doing so, I am prolonging the rejection and 2) I am spending time on something that doesn’t serve me. They may initially be shocked by the rejection, especially if they had an inkling that you may have fancied them previously, but they will get over it!

We need to stop fearing taking charge of our own romantic lives, this is now your time to fully discover yourself and just as importantly your time to have fun! Unapologetically as you!

Good luck and lots of love! xx

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