Former UK rugby star Gareth Thomas has
revealed he's living with HIV.
Thomas, who came out publicly as gay in
2009 and retired from the sport in 2011, discusses his diagnosis in
an upcoming BBC Wales documentary titled Gareth Thomas: HIV and
Me.
In a video released Saturday on
Twitter, Thomas said living with HIV has made him “vulnerable ...
but not weak.”
Thomas added that he decided to “share
his secret” after being put “through hell” by blackmailers who
threatened to expose that he's HIV-positive.
“Even though I have been forced to
tell you this, I choose to fight, to educate, and break the stigma
around this subject,” he said.
The
video quickly went viral with more than 2.7 million views as of
Sunday afternoon.