Gareth Thomas: who is ex Wales rugby captain, what has he said about HIV diagnosis, was he spat at in street?

Former rugby star Gareth Thomas has been accused of covering up his HIV status
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Former rugby star Gareth Thomas has opened up about the abuse he has received from the public.

The former Wales captain released a statement on Twitter claiming that he has received death threats and been spat on in the street as reaction to the ongoing civil case with his ex-partner.

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But who is Gareth Thomas and why is he being sued by his former partner?

Gareth Thomas represented Wales on 100 occasions during his career. (Getty images)Gareth Thomas represented Wales on 100 occasions during his career. (Getty images)
Gareth Thomas represented Wales on 100 occasions during his career. (Getty images)

Who is Gareth Thomas?

Gareth Thomas is former rugby union and league player who represented Wales on 100 occasions between 1995 and 2007.

He is regarded as one of the most talented Welsh rugby players of his generation and was formerly the most capped rugby union player in Wales’ history, before being overtaken by Stephen Jones in 2011.

Thomas made his debut in rugby union for his hometown club Bridgend in 1994 before moving to the Welsh capital to join Cardiff in 1997.

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Thomas, who is affectionately known as Alfie, returned to his local club Bridgend in 2001. During his return Thomas captained Bridgend to their first ever Welsh Premier Division title in 2003. His team finished the campaign with an unbeaten home record and lost just two games away from home.

‘Alfie’ went on to play for the Celtic Warriors and Toulouse before switching to play rugby league with the Cardiff Blues in 2007. He retired from both forms of rugby in 2010.

When did Gareth Thomas come out as gay?

Gareth Thomas revealed he was gay during the final year of his rugby career in 2009.

At the time, Thomas admitted that he suffered from suicidal thoughts as he hid his sexuality from his wife Jemma and his team mates.

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Thomas said at the time: “I was like a ticking bomb, I thought I could suppress it, keep it locked away in some dark corner of myself, but I couldn’t. It was who I was and I couldn’t ignore it any more.”

Gareth Thomas HIV diagnosis

In 2019, Thomas announced that he was HIV positive. He has undetectable status meaning he cannot pass on the infection to other people.

Thomas timed the announcement so that it would coincide with him taking part in an ironman triathlon in an attempt to drive home the message that HIV didn’t weaken him and that he was still in control of his life.

Shortly after the announcement in September 2019, Thomas released a documentary titled Gareth Thomas: HIV and Me.

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During the documentary, the former rugby star went public about his condition and the stigma surrounding it.

During the documentary, Thomas said: “What I knew about HIV was everything I shouldn’t have known about HIV. It was very historical, very past tense and very unfactual.”

The former rugby star currently takes one pill every day in the morning which stops the virus from replicating in the body, meaning that he is unable to pass on the virus through sex.

Why is Gareth Thomas being sued by his former partner?

Thomas is being sued by his ex-partner Ian Baum who has accused the former Wales captain of hiding his HIV status during their relationship.

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Baum has also accused Thomas of using controlling and coercive behaviour to stop his HIV status from becoming known.

Since the allegation came out Thomas has opened up about the abuse he has received from the public.

He tweeted: “I’ve been spat at in the street, called…AIDS spreader, told I should be locked up, that I should die, and much worse.”

Thomas has denied the allegations from his former partner and said: “I am comfortable in my position and my defence speaks for itself. I will continue to fight these allegations and proudly continue my advocacy work undeterred with the same position as always.”

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