Former Rugby Legend Gareth Thomas Reveals He Has HIV
On a video posted on his Twitter page, former rugby star Gareth Thomas has revealed he is HIV positive.
"Hello I'm Gareth Thomas, and I want to share my secret with you," he said.
"Why? because it's mine to tell you, not the evils who have made my life hell, threatening to tell you before I do, and because I believe in you and I trust you."
"I am living with HIV; now you have that information that makes me extremely vulnerable, but it does not make me weak.”
He added that while he is being "forced" to announce his condition, he pledged to "fight to educate and break the stigma" surrounding the illness.
"I am asking you to help me to show that everyone lives in fear of people's reactions and opinions... But that doesn't mean we should have to hide, but to do this, I really, really need your support," he said.
Thomas was the first professional rugby player to announce that he was gay when he came out in 2009 and is believed to be the first British sportsman to live with the virus.
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