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The former partner of Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas has described how it ‘feels like another kick in the teeth’ to watch ITV’s World Cup coverage, less than a year after the pundit agreed to pay him £75,000 to watch a to end the long legal battle between the two. Gentlemen.
Ian Baum accused Thomas of concealing his HIV status during their three-year relationship and the 49-year-old eventually settled for the amount plus costs in January 2023 for the sake of his and his family’s ‘mental health’.
Thomas insisted the move was ‘not an admission of liability or guilt’ as he ended Baum’s £150,000 lawsuit against him, adding: ‘I maintain my innocence in all baseless allegations’.
Baum claimed Thomas failed to exercise “reasonable care” before allegedly passing the virus on to him, and also accused him of coercive control.
Although there is no legal requirement to disclose your HIV status to your partner, NHS guidelines suggest this is ‘strongly recommended’.
Gareth Thomas’ former partner Ian Baum has described watching the Wales legend on ITV as ‘another kick in the teeth’
The broadcaster has hired the former winger (far right) as part of its Rugby World Cup squad
In an interview with the timesBaum urged ITV to consider their position on former This Morning presenter Philip Schofield compared to their recruitment of Thomas for the tournament, calling them ‘hypocrites’.
“It feels like another kick in the teeth,” Baum said when asked how it felt to see Thomas employed. “Part of me wants to keep my head down because I’ve fought him so hard for the last eight years.
“But then I hear about the profile he’s been given and wonder, ‘Why isn’t anyone asking the questions?’ Not just from him, but from the Terrence Higgins Trust, ITV, Channel 4.
‘ITV is so hypocritical when you think about how they treated Phillip Schofield. Does anyone know what exactly he did wrong? He has been dumped and humiliated. But Gareth Thomas is at the World Cup, as well as this SAS show, and the television is giving him free entry. Doesn’t anyone think to watch this?’
Schofield resigned from the ITV program earlier this year after having an “ill-advised but not illegal” relationship with a young male runner, and has yet to return to the broadcaster.
Thomas is currently appearing on Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins, and has spoken in detail about his experiences of living with HIV.
The patron of the Terence Higgins Trust discussed how he was “subject to so many things, but (he refuses) to be a victim.”
In August 2022, while the Baum and Thomas case was ongoing, Thomas admitted that he had not told his former partner that he had HIV when the couple began their relationship in October 2013, but denied that he gave the virus to Baum passed.
It was claimed he only found out Thomas had HIV when he found a GSK1 tablet – the antiviral HIV drug – and Baum subsequently tested positive.
In England and Wales, the transmission of HIV can be prosecuted under the grievous bodily harm section if the carrier passes on the virus.
Baum emphasized that the settlement “doesn’t end everything,” adding that he is “mentally exhausted” after eight years.
The 49-year-old (above) is currently starring in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins on Channel 4
Former England international Andy Goode has also raised an eyebrow over Thomas’ ITV role
“I still have trouble talking about it even now,” Baum continued. “But if I don’t do it, who will?”
Former England international Andy Goode said last week that he thinks it was ‘immoral’ for the broadcaster to include Thomas in their World Cup punditry.
On X (formerly Twitter), Goode wrote: “It’s actually immoral for Gareth Thomas to appear on our TV screens. “Imagine if a straight man did what he did, they would never get another TV gig.”
Thomas was part of the punditry team for Australia’s match against Wales, in which Warren Gatland’s side defeated the Wallabies in a 40–6 win.