“I’ve been threatened by people who said they would give away my secret. It’s sick and I’ve been through hell," he explained. “I was being blackmailed and in my mind I thought you only get blackmailed for something really bad, which compounded the feeling of shame.”

 

The news came out a day before Thomas completed the 140-mile Tenby Ironman, which took him 12 hours, 18 minutes and 29 seconds to finish. Many in the British media said his triathlon success would remind people that HIV was no longer the death sentence it was many years ago.

"Gareth, you are an absolute legend! In sharing your story of being HIV+, you are saving lives and shattering stigma, by showing you can be strong and resilient while living with HIV," Harry wrote on Instagram. "We should all be appalled by the way you were forced to speak your truth, it is yours and yours alone to share on your terms and I and millions stand with you."