Gareth Thomas has said coming out was ‘probably the scariest moment in my life.’

The Welsh rugby player told his ex-wife, Gemma, and coach he was gay in 2006.

‘We just sat down, we had a couple of cans and basically I told him why Gemma had left me and what I was going through,’ he told Channel 4 News.

‘I told him my attempted suicide and basically how my life was falling apart.’

Thomas, 40, became – and remains – the only openly gay international rugby player in 2009.

‘People may define a rugby player’s life as being scary standing in front of a haka, but to me the haka was like doing ring a ring a roses compared to what I was feeling that weekend,’ he said.

The former Dancing on Ice and Celebrity Big Brother star admitted he was hardly unique for coming out as gay, but said the fact it is still illegal to be gay in many countries convinces him it is worthwhile telling his story.

‘If I keep getting letters or if I keep getting messages from people who are still taking strength from my story, who are still finding it difficult and struggling, then you know what, then I’ll keep doing what I do,’ he said.

A play about his life opens tonight in Cardiff, Wales, where Thomas is a national hero.