Rhyl’s Josh on ‘I Kissed a Boy’: ‘I have loads of gay friends now!’

Josh Cem, 24, left “I Kissed a Boy”, hosted by Dannii Minogue and, the BBC says, “the UK’s first gay male dating show”, of his own volition during the fourth of eight episodes, which aired on May 22.

An optical consultant at Rhyl’s Specsavers store, Josh had never kissed, or been in a relationship with, anyone prior to being on the show, which was filmed in Italy in September.

Reflecting on his time on the show, he said how much learnt about himself through the experience, and how grateful he is for the positive response he has received.

Josh Cem on I Kissed a Boy (Image: Josh Cem)

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Josh said: “I learnt a lot being in there. What people see on TV is 45 minutes from 18 hours’ filming. There’s so much I learnt that you don’t see.

“I felt very much like I had to take a back seat and absorb all these new things going on around me.

“I’m a confident, extroverted person, but to go in there and be exposed to all of these new experiences all at once made me become a bit introverted.

“Locally, I’ve definitely been getting recognised, and have had a few people ask for photos on a night out!”

Josh Cem on I Kissed a Boy (Image: Josh Cem)

Josh was paired, and shared his first kiss, with Bobski, a former tennis player from Essex, at the start of the series.

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He then decided to leave after telling Liverpudlian Mikey, who had saved Josh rather than Bobski in a “kiss-off”, that he had been “putting up fronts and portraying confidence that isn’t really there”.

After growing up in a Mormon family, it was only through the first episode’s airing that Josh publicly came out as gay for the first time.

Josh added: “I’d gone into the show looking for a life partner, but realised while I was in there that it was way too ambitious and naïve to think I was going to find that, with the level of experience I went in there with.

“Prior to the show, I hadn’t been with anyone, mainly because previously, if I didn’t see someone as a long-term partner, I just wouldn’t engage with them.

“That held me back a lot, but being on the show helped me to ditch that mindset and change my focus.

“I wouldn’t say I was overwhelmed, but the things I struggled with, I hadn’t given any thought to (prior), and the things I thought I’d struggle with, I didn’t.

“Being on camera was easy for me, but to share a space with 10 others, after living on your own for years, was weird, because you couldn’t shut off from it, in a way.”

Josh Cem on I Kissed a Boy (Image: Josh Cem)

Josh said he remains in constant contact with his fellow contestants, who all reconvened for a full cast event, along with Dannii Minogue, in Liverpool on May 10.

He had been scouted on social media by the show’s producers, as part of an extensive casting process.

“Since the show, my friends have said to me: ‘Josh, you’re so much more gay now’, which I take as a compliment!”, he added.

“I wasn’t worried about my family’s reaction; everyone’s been super proud of me. I’ve had a really good response from friends, from family, from people online sending supportive messages.

“My mum really fully supports me for who I am. 99 per cent of the response I’ve had has been positive. It’s nice to get that reception, because reality TV is cut-throat.

“I’ve got loads of gay friends now; we’ve got a WhatsApp group chat, which is really active. We all speak every day; we’re like a big gay family.”

You can watch the remaining four episodes of “I Kissed a Boy” on BBC Three or BBC iPlayer.