Gareth Thomas is opening up about howPrince Harryhas helped him “publicly and privately” sincegoing public with his HIV diagnosisin 2019.
“He’s been a great supporter of me publicly and privately since I spoke about my diagnosis,” Thomas tells PEOPLE. “And you know, I realized when I spoke about my diagnosis, I started this conversation. But I needed to keep the conversation going. So that’s why I started a campaign, Tackle HIV, with ViiV healthcare and The Terrence Higgins Trust.”
He adds, “But we needed other voices and other people — and from day one, Harry has been a constant support to the campaign.”
Thomas says that the Duke of Sussex, 37, is a “very caring, empathetic person,” adding, “Whenever I do anything with Harry, it always goes well.”
This year marks 35 years since Harry’s motherPrincess Dianaopened the U.K.’s first HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital, a space that would exclusively care for patients with the virus.
Thomas notes that while HIV used to be viewed as a death sentence, he manages the disease with just one tablet each day and lives a “very happy, normal, healthy life.”
Rihanna and Prince Harry.Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Images
As part of his advocacy work, Harry underwent public HIV tests alongside singerRihannaduring a2016 visitto her native Barbados.
After his outing with Rihanna, Harry said, “The younger generation coming through want to talk about it, but there’s still that stigma. If us getting testing normalizes it and makes a difference, even a small difference, then job well done.”
source: people.com
