Prince William and Kate Middleton have sent a message of support to rugby star Gareth Thomas following his announcement he is HIV positive.
Former Wales rugby international Gareth, 45, revealed the news via a video on Twitter yesterday, telling his followers that he wanted to “break the stigma” surrounding the condition.
And the speech clearly struck a chord with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they have responded with their own tweet to the sporting favourite.
They described the former British Lions captain as “courageous” and a “legend”.
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A tearful Gareth said in his video that he’d been “forced” to speak out about his condition after blackmailers threatened to expose it to the press.
He told his followers: “I want to share my secret with you. Why? Because it’s mine to tell you, not the evils who’ve made my life hell, threatening to tell you before I do.”
And just hours later, the official Twitter account for Kensington Palace offered some positive words for Gareth.
Retweeting the rugby player’s video, the message said: “Courageous as ever – legend on the pitch and legend off it. You have our support Gareth. W.”
Courageous as ever – legend on the pitch and legend off it. You have our support Gareth. W https://t.co/WXGof2N3j8
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 15, 2019
Read more: Rugby ace Gareth Thomas ‘forced’ to reveal he’s living with HIV
‘W’ in this case stands for William.
And William and Kate weren’t the only ones to show their support for Gareth – there was also a message from Jeremy Corbyn.
The Labour leader tweeted: “Gareth Thomas has again shown enormous strength in declaring himself HIV positive.
“A role model challenging stigma and prejudice. His example offers hope and resolve to others.
“Solidarity, @gareththomas14.”
Gareth, who married his partner Stephen in 2016, was the victim of a homophobic assault last year.
The former rugby star – who has also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing On Ice and The Jump – was subjected to the violent hate crime while enjoying an evening out in Cardiff city centre.
A 16-year-old boy was spoken to by police following the incident.
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