Top Boy star slams cruel backlash after going public with co-star romance
Top Boy stars Jasmine Jobson and Kadeem Robson went public with their romance before facing cruel backlash from fans of the show.
Jasmine, 28, plays Jaq in the smash hit crime drama while Kadeem, 26, played Kit in the series, which he left in 2022 after first appearing in season two back in 2013. Taking to Instagram on Monday, Jasmine shared a photo of the couple kissing during a romantic trip to Champillon, France – finally confirming their romance after weeks of speculation. The pair stood in a field of sunflowers, cutting casual figures in hoodies and jeans as they embraced, with the actress captioning the snap: "You can't sit with us".
However, the photo didn't go down well with some of the fans of Top Boy, forcing Jasmine to disable the comments function on the loved-up snap and post a message about kindness on her Instagram Stories after receiving cruel criticism.
Jasmine's character drug dealer, Jaq, is a lesbian in the show and, according to the Daily Mail, cruel trolls used the comment section of the snap to speculate over actress Jasmine's sexuality in real life. She slammed the criticism as she wrote: "I'm an ACTRESS. My job is to play dress-up & pretend. I take a script and make it palatable for your eyes to watch. I am also a HUMAN BEING, LIKE ALL OF YOU, just living my life. Be kind."
Jasmine and Kadeem were first reported to be dating earlier this month when she teased their trip to Ibiza together on social media. A source told The Sun: "Jasmine and Kadeem have been quietly dating for some time and are often seen out and about together. Since the series ended they have become more relaxed and Jasmine has started giving glimpses of her love life on social media."
Top 20 excuses Brits use to cancel a date - from sickness to work emergencyIn Top Boy, Jasmine's character Jaq is in a relationship with Becky who is played by model Adwoa Aboah. The actress has received critical acclaim for her performance and has been twice nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the BAFTAs. In a previous interview with Digital Spy, the actress spoke about the importance of playing an out black lesbian on the award-winning programme.
She said: "It's still a taboo. And I think it's very important that we see it, because it happens. I've got lots and lots of friends that are gay or lesbian. So [I asked] them what have they experienced [and] how they dealt with it, so I would kind of know how I was going to portray that scene."
This year, Jasmine takes on the protagonist role in the ITV1 psychological thriller Platform 7 – which starts in December – alongside actors Phil Davis and Toby Regbo. The four-part psychological thriller is based on the 2019 novel Platform Seven by Louise Doughty, adapted by Paula Milne and developed by Dancing Ledge Productions for ITVX.