Author: Lewis Fellows
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INTERVIEW | Gareth Thomas
Lewis Fellows gets a Quickie with rugby superman Gareth Thomas. They talk about Coming Out, Mickey Rourke and his brand new fitness DVD.
TGUK – Gareth! You’ve been incredibly busy recently! What’s been dominating your schedule lately?
GT – Yes it’s been very hectic – first of all I’ve been filming, producing then promoting my fitness DVD which will be hitting the shops shortly. I’ve often been asked how I keep in shape and I thought what a good way to answer if I did a DVD. It’s a very varied DVD which we shot in many places and I am really proud of the production. As a bonus my foundation gets a royalty on every sale!
TGUK – Obviously, you’re a big name in both the sporting world and indeed in gay culture. How did coming out affect your career and of course your life. You coming out was headline news for weeks, and I’m sure you knew that this would be the case?
GT – Yes I always knew that it would be a big deal in the press, especially after my long rugby career, but I never expected where it would lead. It had a massive impact on me, but at the end of the day I thought that if I coming out would help one person who may be going through what I was going through, then it would be worth it. I wanted to come out for many reasons but an important one is that I wanted to inspire people within sport and break down some barriers. There have been some massive highs and lows but it’s mainly been positive.
TGUK – You came out privately to your wife and your family. How did they react?
GT – My family were amazing – once it was taken in, my dad, who is a very tough man, sat me down at home with the family; he opened a bottle of champagne and said “this is a toast to the rest of your life son”. It was overwhelming, and my family as a whole have been superb.
TGUK – As is the case with many newly “out” gay men and women, did you feel as if a weight had been lifted, or were there any feelings of regret?
GT – As you can imagine there were loads of emotions going on! But yes the main one was that an enormous weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
TGUK – So, you have a new fitness DVD coming out… It looks BRILLIANT and is packed with celebrity guests. What was it like working with them?
GT – Superb! My good mates Nicola McLean and Kirk Norcross were excellent, as was Mickey Rourke, who gives us a world exclusive 15 minute interview which is on the extras. It was so good to catch up with them all. And my instructor was great – she really beasted me!
TGUK – Unlike many of the others, this is set in various locations like Hollywood, London and Malibu Beach. What was the filming like?
GT – We had a whale of a time – we filmed below the Hollywood sign and even did a scene in Mickey’s mansion in Beverly Hills 90210! We also filmed at the sugar hut and various places in Wales. We wanted to give the DVD a bit of variety and filming in all the different locations certainly did that.
TGUK – Are you seeing anyone? If not…I’m always available… *cough – cough*
GT – (Laughs) That would be telling… And thanks for the offer!
TGUK – Word on the street is a biopic about you is being made, with names like Tom Hardy and Mickey Rourke attached. Can you give us any details?
GT – Yes I certainly can – the film is undergoing the final contractual bits and pieces and we hope to start filming in the middle of 2013. Mickey is moving to Wales early next year to train and get fit for the filming. So I’ll be spending 4 months showing Mickey the sights!
TGUK – Other than the upcoming film, what plans do you have for the future?
GT – Well I can’t say too much but watch this space come January – I may well be doing something very exciting that will mean you may be seeing a hell of a lot more of me!
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Top 5 Films About Mental Health
Despite the sombre tone set by many movies with mental health at their core, they do tend to be the best and most memorable. What makes these movies so chilling is because unlike many other films, these events could in effect actually happen. (more…)
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INTERVIEW | Jo Caulfield
In the midst of her ‘Better The Devil You Know’ comedy tour, TheGayUK’s Lewis Fellows, caught up with ‘Funniest Woman Of The Year’ – Jo Caulfield for a tickler of an interview to talk about drinking in Travelodge, the undercurrent of homophobia in Stand Up comedy and Joan Rivers.
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COMMENT: Bigots
We all know one. You know one. I know one.
I don’t like the expression.
You’re either a racist, sexist, ageist or homophobic.
I read an article last week. It quoted the Pope. He said:
“Gay people are not fully developed humans”
No. The Nazis were undeveloped people Benedict. Cough-Cough I digress.
How is he getting away with homophobic outbursts like that? Say for example a comedian was heard saying black people are “not fully developed humans” or an MP was heard saying the same about women, there’d be utter outrage. Yet if you make outright homophobic statements you seemingly get away without any action. Obviously, earlier last week, the delightful Nick Griffin posted the address of the gay couple Michael Black and John Morgan who won their case against the chillingly bigoted Susanne Wilkinson who decided they could not stay in her B&B. He posted their address on Twitter. To thousands of people. Thousands of people who support this wannabe dictator. His punishment for posting their address to his vile supporters? Banned from tweeting… for a day. Big punishment for a man who essentially put their home and their lives at stake.
Yet the ‘almighty’ Pope can publicly say such disgusting things. Oh I forgot… He can say what he wishes; because he fronts an organisation who’s standpoint on using HIV preventative measures, the woman’s right to chose and homosexuality to name a few, verge on the immoral. His organisation also has hundreds of years of power and a money reserve of millions to back its causes. I’m in NO WAY saying that all Catholics are immoral, but if you agree with the homophobic things he says… then you need to either have a serious re-think about your morals, or leave society. I don’t care how you do it.
I know many Catholics who completely disagree with the Pope’s extreme views. So potentially the question is: Is the pope a true spokesman for all Catholics around the world? The world has opened its eyes and its mind… Evidently we’re waiting for the Vatican to follow suit.
Being against gays, gay pride, gay adoption and gay marriage is fine. Small minded people are out there; let them think what they want to think. However, don’t dare try and stop gay people living their lives how they want to live them. There is such a casual attitude towards homophobia and I for one am sick of it.
Until next time darlings. Saunters off to the drinks cabinet
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COLUMN: What Will We Become?
Lewis Fellows ponders the questions about the labels we give ourselves in the LGBT community in his new column Just A Quickie.
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GIG REVIEW: Joan Armatrading
Ah Joan. Last night, I was lucky enough to see Joan Armatrading LIVE in Canterbury.