Gareth Thomas boasts one of the most successful careers in the history of Welsh rugby.
He was the first Welsh player to earn a century of caps and his 41 international tries were a Welsh record at the time.
Not only that, but he also captained the British and Irish Lions after Brian O’Driscoll was injured in the opening minutes of the first test against New Zealand in 2005.
But throughout his career, Thomas was hiding something deeply personal that was slowly eating away at him from the inside. He was gay.
In a new Guinness promo ahead of the World Cup, Thomas opens up about the struggle he went through, saying: “I went into battle on the pitch every week, but the battle I was going through personally was ten times worse because I was keeping a secret from the team.”
Thankfully, when Thomas finally came out to his teammates, they showed him he was not alone: “The support that my teammates showed when I came out was truly remarkable – my sexuality didn’t matter to them at all.”
Check it out for yourself below. Only a man with a heart of stone would not be moved by it.
https://youtu.be/rBOTKSQ89M8
You can also watch the longer version here. You might want to grab some tissues.
https://youtu.be/tUoHcwR6FwU
