Former Wales captain Gareth Thomas has revealed that he has been living with HIV “for years” and appealed for support to “break the stigma” around the condition.
The 45-year-old said in a video posted on Twitter that he had been moved to go public about his health because he had received e-mails threatening to expose him.
“I’m Gareth Thomas and I want to share my secret with you. Why? Because it’s mine to tell you, not the e-mails that make my life hell, threatening to tell you before I do, and because I believe in you and I trust you,” he said. “I’m living with HIV. Now you have that information, that makes me extremely vulnerable, but it does not make me weak. Now, even though I’ve been forced to tell you this, I choose to fight, educate and break the stigma around this subject.”
Photo: Reuters
Thomas was capped 100 times for Wales in an international career spanning from 1995 to 2007 and also made captain of the British and Irish Lions in 2005.
After his retirement from international rugby, he came out as gay in 2009 and has been a prominent campaigner against homophobia in sports.
In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Thomas said that he had kept the diagnosis secret for years and it initially caused him to have suicidal thoughts.
“I had a fear people would judge me and treat me like a leper because of a lack of knowledge,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “I was in a dark place, feeling suicidal. I thought about driving off a cliff. To me, wanting to die was just a natural thought and felt like the easier way out, but you have to confront things. And having a strong support system and the personal strength and experience of overcoming those emotions got me through it.”
The first British rugby international to come out, Thomas told the newspaper that blackmailers had threatened to reveal his diagnosis.
He also said that he was in good health, while managing the condition with medication, and that Stephen, his partner of several years, was not HIV positive.
Thomas’ revelation comes just over a week before Wales play their first World Cup match against Georgia in Japan, where the former skipper is to work as a pundit for broadcaster ITV.
“I’m asking you to help me to show that everyone lives in fear of people’s reactions and opinions of something about them, but that doesn’t mean that we should have to hide,” he said on Twitter. “To do this, I really, really need your support.”
The post prompted a flood of supportive messages from British sports personalities on social media, including former England soccer great Gary Lineker and prominent international rugby referee Nigel Owens.
Welshman Owens, who came out as gay in 2007 after a long struggle to come to terms with his sexuality, gave “all [his] support” to Thomas on Twitter.
“Stay strong, my friend, and as always well done for being so brave and open to speak about these important issues that affect so many and will help even more,” he tweeted.
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