Dancing on Ice 2013: Gareth Thomas

Age: 36

Twitter: @gareththomas14

Famous for: Rugby

Bio: Before he retired from the sport, Gareth Thomas was, for years, Wales’s most-capped rugby union player. He notched up 100 appearances for the national team between 1995 and 2007, and managed to end his international career on a high by scoring a try in his final match.

Gareth found further fame in 2009 when he publicly announced that he is gay, making him the first openly gay player in the history of rugby union.

He’s looking forward to taking part in Dancing on Ice and, even though he’s keen to win, Gareth has also set his sights on having a good time.

He said: "This is an individual type of challenge, but I’m definitely a team player and I hope that will show to the others. If I’m in the position to help someone else I’d love to be able to. I’d really try and get a good team environment.

“I miss challenging myself since I left rugby - I want to show the real me and let my personality shine through.”

See Gareth on the rugby pitch here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdojoCwqrtg

And discussing his reasons for declaring his sexuality here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMB6i7RoykE