Shawn Mendes Regrets Blowing His Chance With Hailey Baldwin; Opens Up About His Sexuality

She may be Hailey Bieber at the moment, but for a hot second, Hailey Baldwin could have been Hailey Mendes. If only Shawn Mendes did blew his chance with her.

As the cover boy of Rolling Stone’s new issue, the 20-year-old superstar admitted that he and Hailey were more than just “awesome friends” when they showed up together at the 2018 Met Gala. 1 month later, Hailey unfollowed Shawn on Instagram and became engaged to Justin Bieber.

“I don’t even wanna put a title on it. I think it was more of a zone of limbo,” the singer told the publication. Shawn insists that the 2 do not have bad blood between them. He even reached out to his former beau to offer his well wishes when she got married.

“I get it, you know. I texted Hailey, ‘Congratulations,’ and I really am happy for them. She’s still one of the f**king coolest people ever—she’s not just a beautiful person visually, but she’s one of the most beautiful hearts I’ve ever met,” he admits. “I think I’m an idiot to not, you know…But you can’t control your heart.”

In order to curb speculation about his sexuality, Shawn also shared that he once felt the need to be photographed with another woman “to prove to people that he’s not gay”. “I’d like to say I don’t care about it, but that’s not true,” explained the singer. Perception is reality after all, especially in the entertainment industry.

“In the back of my heart, I feel like I need to go be seen with someone — like a girl — in public, to prove to people that I’m not gay. Even though in my heart I know that it’s not a bad thing. There’s still a piece of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me,” the pop star added.

Since his cover story came out, Shawn hasn’t been exactly thrill about it. “Of course I have my insecurities and struggles but that’s just one part of me. Sometimes the positive side of a story doesn’t always get fully told and I wish it had here. I love what I do and I love you guys so much,” he wrote.