IN Toronto magazine

SPORTS:

Gay rugby star Gareth Thomas

Openly gay rugby star Gareth Thomas said he became a “master of playing the straight man” before coming out.

“I would go to the bars with the boys. I would always be the one to start a fight,” said Thomas, appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Jan 4, marking his debut on US television.

Wearing neatly-pressed jeans, a soft purple shirt and beige vest, the well-spoken in-shape athlete opened up to Ellen DeGeneres about the macho world of sports, what it was like to come out to his wife, family and teammates, as well as advice he has for other gay athletes who are considering coming out.

Thomas said that he would never coach closeted athletes to come out, however, adding that if famous sport stars “come out and show a positive story with such a positive message, you know, it changes the world.”

The 36-year-old Welsh rugby player disclosed his sexuality publicly last year, making him the first and only openly gay professional gay sports player in the UK. Thomas currently plays for the Crusaders in Europe's Super League.

The athlete’s name recently resurfaced in headlines after it was announced that Hollywood star Mickey Rourke would play Thomas in an upcoming film about the rugby star’s life.

The film is slated to complement Thomas’s fight to end homophobia in sports. “If my life in the newspapers can help people, my life on screen can help millions more because it’s far easier to relate to something on screen,” the athlete told Rugby World magazine, as reported in the South Wales Echo newspaper.

The Welshman added it has been Rourke’s wish to make a rugby movie. “He’s always wanted to make a movie based on rugby but he needed a person or character to revolve it around. He read my story and got in touch,” said Thomas.

According to Thomas’ agent, ex-Saracens winger Emanuele Palladino, the movie could start filming within the next 12 months, as reported in UK tabloid Wales on Sunday.

Palladino also added that Rourke is going to really sink his teeth into Thomas’s character. Well, minus his two front ones. “Mickey intends to get as close to the character as he can,” said Palladino to UK paper Daily Express. “He is going to get rid of his two front teeth -- he will be taking them out.”