Gareth Thomas is joined by World Champion swimmer Mark Foster. Mark competed at the highest level for Great Britain at five different Olympics, World Championships, and the Commonwealth Games. He now has a very successful career as a commentator, TV personality, public speaker, and charity campaigner. In this episode, we discuss the stigma around homosexuality in sport and society, with Gareth and Mark discussing their experiences and the importance of changing public perceptions to make stigma a thing of the past. Please get in touch with your thoughts, ideas, and feedback. We’d love you to f ..read more

Episode 6 - Tackling Mental Health stigma with Frank Bruno Gareth Thomas and Craig Doyle are joined by retired professional boxer and former heavyweight champion Frank Bruno. Throughout his life and career, Frank has faced challenges and fought against stigma surrounding mental health, which led him to start the Frank Bruno Foundation. In this episode, Frank talks about the importance of being respectful, keeping calm and staying in control both inside and outside the ring. Gareth, Frank and Craig discuss the negative perceptions around issues such as mental health, and how Frank manages daily ..read more

Special Episode: Can Sport Help Bring Positive Social Change? The week before the Lions departure for the 2021 tour, we sat down for a special live edition of the Talking Stigma podcast with Gareth Thomas,  World Cup winners Bryan Habana & Nolli Waterman, Craig Doyle and ViiV Healthcare’s Helen McDowell. As well as the ultimate rugby challenge, the Lions tour provides an ideal backdrop and opportunity for public education via the power of sport, with the Lions representing one of the ultimate team challenges. Sport and physical activity have the power to bring about positive social ch ..read more

Episode 5: Tackling Stigma with Katie Piper Gareth and Craig are joined by best-selling author, inspirational speaker, activist, and television presenter Katie Piper. In 2008, Katie survived an acid attack.  Since then Katie has produced multiple documentaries, created her own foundation, the “Katie Piper Foundation”, and become a role model and campaigner for acid attack survivors across the country. Whether it’s her husband being congratulated for marrying her, or the internalised judgment she placed on herself, Katie has faced stigma at every turn and tells us not only about her own ex ..read more

Episode 4: Tackling Disability Stigma with Hannah Cockcroft The 2012 Paralympic Games in London were seen as a turning point for disability in the UK. The games broke multiple records and created a huge shift in attitudes and perceptions towards those with disabilities, yet some stigma and discrimination still remain. One of the athletes from those games, joins Gareth and Craig to talk about stigma. Wheelchair racer Hannah Cockcroft MBE won two Gold Medals at the games in London in T34 100m and 200m races. Since then she’s won three more Gold Medals in Rio alongside her 11 World Championship G ..read more

It’s a Sin is one of Channel 4’s most successful shows of all-time. It’s shattered streaming records on the All 4 platform, but most importantly it’s brought HIV/AIDS into mainstream conversation in a very powerful way.  The worry among many in the HIV community was that the stigma depicted in the show from the early ’80s would resurface. But it’s been quite the opposite. The show has had an incredible response and impact; It has inspired people to go public with their positive HIV status, 2021 saw a record-breaking HIV testing week, and there have ..read more

In a special edition of the Talking Stigma podcast, Gareth Thomas sat down with Ian Green, CEO of the Terrence Higgins Trust (the UK’s leading HIV charity) alongside Allen Jones (AJ) and his partner Will Ross. AJ is living with HIV and talks to Gareth and Ian about how he felt when he was diagnosed, the stigma that he has faced and how he feels now, a few years on. Will is HIV negative and gives his perspective on supporting his partner and how finding out AJ was living with HIV didn’t affect the way he felt. Gareth, Ian, AJ and Will share their very honest thoughts and feelings about living w ..read more

Episode 2: Tackling racism with Dion Dublin Over the past few months millions of people have taken to the streets across the world demanding their voices be heard in the fight against racism. The Black Lives Matter demonstrations have shone a light on racial divides and inspired hope that there is an opportunity for meaningful change. Former England football player and TV star Dion Dublin is our guest for this episode, during which he talks about the racism he experienced on the pitch, how he dealt with discrimination then and more recent examples of abuse from strangers. Dion had a hugely suc ..read more

Homophobia in sport remains a taboo subject for many at the highest levels with many athletes and coaches still having to deal with secrecy and stigma. Kate Richardson-Walsh is an Olympic gold medal winning hockey player, who was capped a record 375 times for her country and was England and Great Britain captain for 13 years. A trailblazer for LGBTQ sportspeople, Kate played alongside and then married international teammate Helen Richardson and in the process made history by becoming the first same-sex married couple to win an Olympic gold medal together. In this episode, Kate chats to Gareth ..read more