Gareth Thomas says a tabloid journalist knocked on his parents' front door and asked them about his HIV status - before they knew anything about his condition.

The Welsh rugby legend revealed over the weekend that he had HIV, though treatment meant it was undetectable and would not pass on to his husband.

During a BBC 5 Live Breakfast interview on Wednesday, the ex-Wales captain said he was "forced" to make the revelation after a newspaper blackmailed him.

It comes after cricketer Ben Stokes described The Sun as "immoral and heartless" after the newspaper printed a story about a family tragedy 31 years ago.

Thomas said: "When you keep a secret, it is very difficult to keep a secret, and when it's so personal there are certain people in your life that you kind of have to tell… and they have somebody else in their life who they feel they need to tell, and suddenly that secret gets out of control.


"You become really vulnerable when you give people a secret because to them you become a target or you become weak because they have this power over you."

'I've been forced to tell you this'

He then told interviewers Nicky Campbell and Rachel Burden: "Can you imagine how I felt when a tabloid journalist knocked on my mother and father's front door and asks them to make a comment on my HIV status… when I had literally not really sat down with my parents and had a chat about it because I wanted to protect them."

The Welshman said he didn't think his parents had to know and that he "needed to understand everything" about his diagnosis before deciding whether to tell them.

Breaking down in tears, Thomas said: "I can never have that moment back - to sit down with them and be able to explain to them why their son is going to be okay and going to be able to live through this.

"That person came and took that moment from me."

Image: The former Welsh rugby international captain reacts after finishing Ironman Wales

When Nicky Campbell asked whether the public would be surprised about which newspaper blackmailed him, Thomas responded: "No - if you flicked a coin and it had head on both sides, then you'd land on the right option. Everybody will know, especially of late."

It was revealed on Monday that the rugby star is planning to team up with Prince Harry to raise awareness of HIV, vowing to "break the stigma" after blackmailers put him "through hell".

The ex-fullback, who came out as gay in 2009, is thought to be the first UK sportsman to go public about living with HIV.

He made the announcement in a video posted on Twitter on Saturday, accompanied by an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mirror, before completing a 140-mile triathlon on Sunday.