Up-and-Coming Brit Actor Gabriel Clark is 'Really Proud to Be' Part of the LGBTQ Community

Up-and-coming British actor Gabriel Clark got a big break earlier this year when he got the role of Ollie Morgan on the long-running Channel Four soap "Hollyoaks" when he replaced an actor who abruptly left.

Clark made more news this week during an Instagram chat he was asked if he was part of the LGBTQ community, and he said: "I am. I am really proud to be."

"Gabriel replaces Aedan Duckworth in the role of Ollie after he left the soap suddenly earlier this year," wrote the British tabloid The Sun.

Ollie's storyline centered on his being sexually abused by his football coach and the subsequent pedophilia trial when the coach is exposed. At one point, he expressed confusion about his sexuality; he later became involved in a romantic relationship with an autistic teenager and becomes a father.

In an another tweet, the 22-year old thanked his "Hollyoaks" fans and acknowledged that he was proud to be part of the show's growing LGBTQ community.

Two years ago Clark briefly appeared in the show as part of the Ollie Morgan storyline. "Two years ago, I was part of the Buster storyline, so to finally be here, playing a lead role in Hollyoaks, it is very surreal," he said in a November interview with the British newspaper The Bolton News.

"Life has been quite tough as an actor in lockdown," he told the newspaper. "There has been a lot of uncertainty, particularly in the arts sector. It's been quite upsetting to see theatres, like the Octagon and Royal Exchange, who have given actors such an incredible platform to train at, struggling to keep going, but I'm really looking forward to seeing those doors open again in 2021.

"It's also given me a lot of time to reflect. I am quite an active person, and I didn't really enjoy being sat around, so I feel very lucky being able to come to Hollyoaks every day.