Rugby star Sacha Harding appears naked
on the cover of UK glossy Gay Times' The Naked Issue to
support Elton John's AIDS Foundation.
This year the annual issue, which
features 54 naked men, has teamed up with the Elton John AIDS
Foundation.
The 28-year-old Harding, who plays for
the Bedford Blues, said he was honored to be included in the issue.
“AIDS is such a devastating disease
for so many people around the world and I was honored to get this
opportunity to try and do my part to help raise awareness of the
disease and ultimately save lives,” Harding is quoted as saying in
a Gay Times statement.
“I know I'm going to get some stick
from the lads at Bedford but it's all good fun and the whole campaign
has a very serious message which needs promoting,” he added.
Harding was last year voted Britain's
“manliest man.”
“How could we not have Britain's
manliest man on our cover?” Gay Times Editor Darren Scott
rhetorically asked. “Our readers do like their men to be real men!
It's an absolute joy to have a straight rugby player be so willing
to take part in a shoot for Britain's longest-running gay magazine.”
(A video of Harding's W London hotel
photo shoot is embedded in the right panel. Visit
our video library for more videos.)