Gareth Thomas: Proud

In a frank interview with the Times Magazine, the former British Lions and Wales skipper, who is set to release his second memoir, Proud, later this month, opened up about the years of torment he felt while lying to his loyal wife Jemma, the lengths he went to to keep his sexuality a secret, and how he his now finally content as an openly gay man.

* Dressed in a WRU-issued suit, he took to the pool of his home in Toulouse, armed with vodka and pills in one of a “handful” of attempts to kill himself on the night devastated Jemma finally left him;

* He fought hard to fight his gay urges after his first sexual encounter while working as a postman in Bridgend as a teenager left him “disgusted”;

* He used away games and fake stag weekends as elaborate cover stories while picking up men in London’s gay scene;

* Diver Tom Daly turned to him before coming out publicly himself;

* He’s now in a settled relationship with “his first and only gay love”, whom he met online.

It’s five years since 40-year-old Thomas – nicknamed Alfie – revealed to an already-suspicious public that he was in fact gay and had been living a lie throughout his decorated career.

The Sunday Mirror gives its lucky readers the thrilling highlights from Gareth's Times' interview.

Thus saving us all the trouble of reading it - and indeed of reading his new book.

Strangely Mr Thomas has stopped talking about the film Mickey Rourke was (not) making about him.

Daily Telegraph.

No, not really. But thanks for asking.