Welsh legend Gareth Thomas reveals he has HIV and admits he considered committing suicide
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Welsh Rugby great Gareth Thomas has revealed that he has been living with HIV 'for years' making the announcement on social media on Saturday night.
— Gareth Thomas (@gareththomas14) September 14, 2019
The former Wales captain revealed he is HIV positive, saying he wants to "break the stigma" around the condition.
He said he wants to show how people with HIV are misrepresented as "walking around with walking sticks who are close to dying".
He said he had kept his HIV status secret because he feared people would 'treat me like a leper'.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, he also told how he was threatened with blackmail, forcing him to tell his family of his HIV status before they heard it from someone else.
He said: 'I've been living with this secret for years. I've felt shame and keeping such a big secret has taken its toll.