Louise Minchin, 51, took to the micro-blogging and retweeted a short video clip from BBC Breakfast where Gareth Thomas, 45, revealed he had lost the chance to tell his parents about living with HIV after the rugby player said they were told without his knowledge. The former Welsh rugby legend said he had been living with the diagnosis for years, and explained how he had sobbed in the arms of a doctor after finding out. The broadcaster shared the the video with her 164,000 followers, with the caption: “Huge respect to @gareththomas14 for talking about this.” In the clip, Gareth started: “I chose really to never tell anyone because when I built up the knowledge of what living with HIV is, I realised I’m no threat to anyone.
“I’m not going to harm anyone, so I don’t need to tell anyone.”
He continued: “I can never, ever, ever have that moment back with my mother and father of sitting down and telling them something so personal to me.
“I’m lucky that I have parents who love me and will support me through anything.”
Fans flocked to comment on Louise’s post, with many showing their support for the Welsh star.
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One person said: “Huge respect to the man and you could hear and see the hurt in his voice. Great respect to you too Louise for handling the interview with empathy while still getting lots from your questions proves you are a great journalist/interviewer.”
Another person commented: “Excellent interview this morning. Respect for @gareththomas14 and also @louiseminchin. Well done to you both.”
One person advised: “Block and report are there too.”
Another person commented: “I didn’t even know there was a mute button. Everyday is a school day!”
While a third person added: “So much meanness on social media. No matter how much I see it, I am still surprised by the toxic, thoughtless behaviour of people hiding behind their keyboards.”
BBC Breakfast airs daily at 6.30am.
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