Top actor said to be HIV-positive

LOS ANGELES: A major Hollywood star is rumoured to have been diagnosed as HIV-positive.

The man – whose identity is not being revealed – has a long list of famous former girlfriends.

“The actor’s list of exes includes an award-winning actress, a religious movie star, a top Hollywood personality with a controversial past, a TV star, a media personality and a glamour model,” reports The Sun newspaper.

An insider claimed: “It has now become common knowledge that this star is HIV-positive, something he has known for a number of years.”

The article follows a similar report by Radar Online last week, amid claims that the star is preparing for legal action by women who say he put them at risk.

A source told The Sun that people close to him have suggested he “face the situation head-on and own it publicly”.

The source said the actor didn’t want to do that, for fear of the disease becoming a defining quality of his career.

This news comes just two months after Who’s The Boss star Danny Pintauro revealed that he had been living with HIV for 12 years and had contracted the disease through oral sex due to lesions in his mouth.

Pintauro, 39, also said he had received support from his former Boss co-stars Tony Danza and Judith Light when he told them about his health status.

Major strides have been made in the past 30 years in fighting HIV.

There is still, however, a major stigma around the disease, with many wrongly believing it infects only gay men and drug users. NBA star Magic Johnson has worked hard to fight this myth since he revealed that he had contracted the disease more than 20 years ago. – Daily Mail