John Boyega on romance: ‘I’ve only been in love once’

JOHN Boyega has only been in love once.

The 28-year-old actor admitted it's taken him until now to realise the feelings he had in his early relationships didn't run as deeply as he first thought.

He said: “I've only been in love once.

“Sometimes you're just in ‘like', and I had to figure that out in my early twenties – I didn't necessarily have the clarity or the skill set to work it out.

“Bob Marley said, don't awaken something in a woman without the intention of loving her – that would sum up my experiences in my early twenties.”

The Star Wars: The Force Awakens actor believes love is a “decision” and he is willing to listen to painful truths from those he knows truly care.

He told The Times magazine: “Love is a lifestyle and it's a decision. Sometimes, the person who holds the keys to your heart also holds the keys to your irritation.

“Somebody can tell you a truth about yourself that hurts, and when you hear it you can get defensive.

“But when you go to sleep at night, you're like, ‘Oh, man, they were absolutely right.' ”

John – who famously acknowledged he could lose his career after delivering a passionate speech during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London this summer – admitted knowing when he should speak out has been a “struggle” but he's just striving for equality.

He said: “Silence can be too loud – and the cost of it can be too expensive. I've struggled thinking about whether to speak out.

“I don't want to seem like I want to bury everybody – that's not my intention. f

“When I came into this industry, I didn't see equal opportunity.”