Rugby:Former Wales fullback Gareth Thomas today said he hoped he could make a difference to others struggling with their sexuality after disclosing he is gay.

The Cardiff Blues player said he was grateful for the “amazing response” he had received after describing his fears of how people would react.

Thomas, Wales’ most-capped player and a former British and Irish Lions captain, said: “I just want to thank everyone for the amazing response I have received, on behalf of me, my family and friends.

“I hope that by saying this I can make a big difference to others in my situation. But for now, I just want to focus on being a rugby player and beating my old club Toulouse.”

Thomas said the secret of his sexuality was like a “ticking bomb” which he had tried to suppress.

He said he realised in summer 2006 that he could no longer live a lie.

He told his wife, Jemma, that he was gay and felt like his life was “falling apart” as his four-year marriage broke down.

Thomas said he was “scared of the future and being single again as a gay man”.

The 6ft 3in, 16-stone rugby star said he broke down in tears in the changing rooms of the Millennium Stadium after playing for Wales in November 2006 and later told his secret to coach Scott Johnson.

Thomas said he was frightened about how his team-mates would react but said nobody distanced themselves from him and his family have also stood by him.

The player today received the full backing of both the Welsh Rugby Union and the Cardiff Blues.