Quotes from Gareth Thomas

I'm a sportsman, as good and strong as you, who just happens to be gay.

Other sportsmen have confided in me that they're gay. The advice I give is that coming out is great for you as a person, but that you also have to remember you're a role model. As a sportsman you take the money and the glory, but you also take the responsibility that comes with it and make sure the stories that follow are positive.

Part of a sportsman's job is taking banter from the crowd.

All I'm concerned about is that I'm with a good squad of players and want us to be competitive and I'm not looking for anything more.

I am not interested in individual glory.

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.

I'm not a stereotypical gay man but I am a gay man as much as anyone else.

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

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

I was always driven by the idea that if people ever found out about who I was then the stature I created for myself within rugby would have to be as relevant as the fact I was gay. It was always the driving factor to be the strongest, the fastest, the most skilful.

The rugby team is a massive part of the city and generates a real passion but there is also far more to Toulouse. I learned not only to respect the history of the club but also the area and I soon came to appreciate 'buildings and structures.

I became the master of playing the straight bat - I would go to bars with the boys, I would always be the one to start a fight, to be outrageous and drink the most. I even went to the extreme of marrying the perfect woman for me.

If I keep getting letters or if I keep getting messages from people who are still taking strength from my story, who are still finding it difficult and struggling, then you know what, then I'll keep doing what I do.