Gareth Thomas’ ex-wife has no regrets over marriage
Jemma Thomas, the ex-wife of gay star Gareth Thomas, has said she does not regret their marriage.
Mr Thomas came out publicly in December, having revealed his sexual orientation to his wife three years before.
He is one of the best known British sportsmen to come out as gay.
In an interview with Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Radio 5 Live, Mrs Thomas said she believed her husband was probably gay before he broke the news to her.
She said her response to his statement “I think I’m gay” was, “I think you are”.
Mrs Thomas, who now lives in Spain, continued: “It was very strange, my reply, because I’d never mistrusted him with a woman yet I never knew anything had been going on with a man either.
“I had my suspicions and there were lots of rumours when he was much younger but there was never anything substantial for me to go on so I kind of just blocked it out and put it to the back of my mind.”
She said she found the news that he was gay easier to deal with than if he had been having an affair with another woman.
“We had built up a relationship for many years prior to us getting married. We were the best of friends and we did have a great life together,” she said.
“There’s a part of me that thinks he should have been more honest with me sooner but then again I wouldn’t want to change the time we had together.”
The couple suffered a number of traumatic episodes while together. Mrs Thomas had three miscarriages, while her husband had a mini-stroke after a television appearance.
Their divorce will be finalised shortly.
Mrs Thomas said: “For me it will be a closure but I don’t really feel different as we have been apart now for quite some time.
“I came [to Spain]… to start again and I am away from a lot of that memory so it does help me move on.”
Since coming out, Mr Thomas has said he is looking for love. He was also named as the patron of LGBT History Month and said he wanted to take a hands-on role with the initiative.
