Alfie’s tears at awards night
RUGBY legend Gareth Thomas broke down in tears as his mum and dad surprised him on stage with his Sporting Inspiration award at the Mirror Pride of Sports Awards.
RUGBY star Gareth Thomas has tackled his most gruelling challenge ever – and helped people living with HIV along the way.
The former Wales captain, who also skippered the British and Irish Lions, cycled 500 miles in seven days from Cardiff to Scotland as part of Sport Relief.
Gareth, widely praised for revealing he was HIV-positive earlier this year, started at Bute Park on Monday, where he picked up the BBC Sports Personality of the Year trophy. And his seven-day journey – dubbed the Tour de Trophy – will end at the P&J Live arena in Aberdeen, where this year’s Sports Personality of the Year event takes place.
The aim is for Gareth to deliver the trophy live on stage to the winner at the ceremony on Sunday, December 15.
The six shortlisted nominees for this year’s title are Dina Asher-Smith, Lewis Hamilton, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Alun Wyn Jones, Raheem Sterling and Ben Stokes.
En route, Gareth will switch between a solo bike and a Quattrocycle fourperson pedal bike, with the additional seats filled by friends and familiar faces from the world of sport and entertainment.
The 45-year-old star, originally from Sarn, near
Bridgend, said he wanted to “break the stigma” around HIV and other issues, including mental health and homelessness.
He said: “I’ve now seen the bike and realised ‘cycling’ is a very loose term when it comes to how I’m actually going to get from Cardiff to Aberdeen.
“The seats are like deckchairs. I’m really interested to see how it pans out.
“No amount of training in the world can prepare you for getting into this machine.”
Gareth said he wasn’t sure if his friend Prince Harry – who recently praised Gareth for his “amazing” work tackling the stigma of HIV – would come along for the ride.
He said: “It’d be absolutely amazing if he would, but I am not sure if he is crazy enough to come out in December.”
Talking about his reasons for taking on the challenge, he said: “I could really easily go home, sit down with my husband and my family and get on with the rest of my life, but I choose not to. I choose to continue.”
Gareth added he is “happier than ever” after revealing his HIV status – and has not encountered any negativity.
He said: “I am a realist and I know there is no-one in society has the same views about everything. There’s always people who are going to think differently.
“And sometimes I think to myself, actually, I’d like to come across some. But people have been respectful of it.”
Gareth, who revealed he was gay in 2009 and retired from rugby in 2011, told in September how he sobbed in the arms of a doctor after being told of his diagnosis.
He was the first UK sportsman to go public about living with the virus.
Visit sportrelief.com/ gareth