Gareth Thomas

“I loved playing rugby so much. I would have played rugby every day if I could have. I loved being a player so much, I don't know if I could sit on the side, with the passion I have and try and influence without being on there.”

“I don't know if my life is going to be easier because I'm out but, if it helps someone else, if it makes one young lad pick up the phone to ChildLine, then it will have been worth it.”

“Playing rugby has been my whole life and for me, keeping fit was part of my job. But when I gave up my career, I was determined to keep motivated, and that isn't always easy when you have lost the competitive edge to it.”

“When I first started at Bridgend, I'd see the amount of work Rob Howley put in on his own after the team had all gone home. He was doing ridiculous amounts. So I started training like him. Always on my own.”

“People tend to be consumed by sport when the big events come up.”

“This journey of education and breaking stigma around HIV is something that will have a legacy everlasting.”

“Times change so fast.”

“It was a huge honour to be chosen by the Lions and to lead the side, but the greatest of all is to represent your country and win.”

“If I'm in the position to help someone else I'd love to be able to.”

“You cannot afford to take any risks where your health is concerned.”

“I can remember lacing up my boots ahead of my first cap against Japan in the 1995 World Cup in South Africa. I remember the changing room, the smell of the place, every last detail of how I warmed up, walking out onto the pitch, thinking how proud my parents would be. I was doing all I ever wanted to do.”

“I really want to remain involved in rugby. I want to continue and have an influence on the game.”

“Someone said on social media that I was the son of Satan for being open about my sexuality. I told my mother, and she laughed and said, 'Well, what the hell does that make me?'”

“My parents, my family and my friends all love me and accept me for who I am and, even if the public are upset by this, I know the love of those people who mean the most to me will never change.”

“When I came out I hoped it would empower others - and it has.”

“I had a stroke in 2006. I thought: 'This is it.'”

“As a professional sportsman, working out has always been an important part of my life.”

“Wherever I am in my life, it's because rugby has enabled me to do that.”

“The World Cup has not been kind to us overall.”

“When I was 16 or 17 I knew I was gay, but knowing and accepting are two very different things.”