Mitch Hewer shot to fame as gay teen heartthrob Maxxie in Channel 4's Skins. He tells MATTHEW JENKIN why he doesn't mind getting his kit off and how he plans to conquer Hollywood.

WHETHER it’s playing a gay teenager in cult TV drama Skins, posing for a magazine or dancing and singing in the Take That musical Never Forget, hearthrob Mitch Hewer just can’t seem to keep his clothes on.

With his six pack abs, tousled blond hair and cute baby face, Mitch has got it and he’s not ashamed to flaunt it.

“I’m really quite relaxed about nudity. Especially in the second series of Skins, the whole first week of filming I was naked,” Mitch laughs.

“I just think it’s funny. I don’t think it’s something people should take seriously. I go to the gym a lot so am happy with my body and fine with getting my kit off.”

The Bristol-born actor is busy rehearsing for his latest scantily clad role in Never Forget - a musical bulging with the 1990s hit songs of Take That.

During the show’s run at Croydon’s Fairfield Halls, the 20-year-old will play a stripper who decides to join a tribute band.

However, Mitch says he drifted into acting by accident and it is as gay teen Maxxie in Channel 4’s hit drama Skins that Mitch got his big break.

He said: “It all went down when I was 11-years-old and playing football.

“This guy came to my school and he was tap dancing, so I gave up football and was doing tap dancing for five years.

“I stayed in Bristol and went to college where I studied musical theatre.

“I got spotted in one of my classes by a casting agent and it went from there. I never wanted to be an actor, I just wanted to be a dancer.”

Despite being straight, he insists he had no qualms about playing a gay character.

He said: “Everyone always asks me if it was a difficult part to play and whether I had to do research for the character.

“But I think that is really offensive because how can you research a gay person? They are just normal people."

The reaction from viewers and the gay community was overwhelmingly positive.

“It was actually really fun to play Maxi because he was very different to all the other characters and had a different following," he gushed.

“I had a lot of fan mail but I still find it weird when I receive any, especially when people say I changed their life and helped them come out.

“But when someone watches your stuff and it changes their life, I think that’s the biggest reward as an actor. It gives you a great feeling.”

The show, which aired its third series with a new cast this year, spawned Hollywood’s golden boy Dev Patel, who starred in this year’s Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire.

Now Mitch also has stars in his eyes and dreams of joining Dev on the red carpet.

He said: “Earlier this year I went straight out to LA because Skins was showing out there. I was only meant to stay for two weeks but I ended up staying for six.

“I had the most amazing time going to auditions and got really close on one but missed it by the skin of my teeth.

“It’s all experience and I’m going to go again in January for two months and just see what happens. I’m just going to hope for the best and see where it takes me.”

Never Forget. Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon. December 22 to December 30. 020 8688 9291.