An aspiring model who says he was attacked in school because of his sexuality has opened up about his struggles growing up.

King George Tshikeva, 22, from Tottenham, moved out of his family home a few years ago in search of independence.

In the BBC Three documentary Our Borough: Love and Hustle, he spoke about how his parents struggled to accept he was gay.

Speaking to the Independent, he said he found it difficult to deal with the culture clash between him and his first-generation parents – his mother is Portuguese and his father is from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

King said: “I think there definitely is a culture clash because I was born in England and have British values. There are different morals and there is also a language barrier.

“I would stress that everyone who come from different countries to speak to their parents.

“You should know that it is okay to get out of the house and to get whatever job you want and meet with friends. Nobody is going to judge you.

“The difficulties with my family I do not think I dealt with properly and I still haven’t dealt with. One thing I would like to change and speak up about is how I feel towards my family.

“I want to be brave enough to have a voice.”

Enfield Independent:

Chin ‘split in half’

He recalls a time at school when his chin was “split in half” by other pupils because of his sexuality.

He said: “In year 10, I was interrupted at school because my chin was split in half because of my sexuality – I don’t think I knew about it then – but I was pulled from school for about a year.

“For me, at that point in my life, a different sexuality was just wrong, like a hidden secret.”

He recalled feeling frightened after reporting the incident to police. When he went back to school, he said no one spoke to him because he was a “snitch”.

In spite of this, he says he was still able to find acceptance while growing up in Tottenham.

He said: “I think it's interesting when I speak to older gay men and they say they were never as brave as I was at my age.

“It’s funny to think the older generation of the LGBTQ community can look at me and be inspired by my story.

“My home community were very forth coming and accepting. I knew I belonged there.

“I could not imagine being in the closet now and pretending to be straight.”

Living independently

Now, King is focusing on gaining financial stability as a model, actor and presenter.

At the time the BBC documentary was being filmed, King was living in hostel and was trying to find a place to live with his boyfriend.

He said: “When I moved out, I thought I would end up a reckless and rebellious child and have parties and go out whenever I wanted. But it wasn’t like that.

“I suddenly found myself in the world as an adult and not just as a gay person. When I would meet new people I would be introduced as someone’s gay friend – my sexuality no longer defines me.

“Living alone allowed me to build new relationships with people. But there were difficulties such as being loved – I did grow up with seven siblings and night-time was difficult not having them around.

“My main goal at the moment is to put my two little brothers in a limousine for their 18th birthday with a chaperone and chauffeur.”