Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness has thanked his fans, friends and followers for all of their "love and support" after he revealed he's living with HIV.
The reality star opens up about his HIV diagnosis in his new memoir Over The Top, with The New York Times sharing extracts from the book in a recent feature.
Speaking to the publication, Van Ness explained that he hopes he will be able to help tackle the stigma around HIV by recounting his experiences, saying: "It's hard for me to be as open as I want to be when there are certain things I haven't shared publicly. These are issues that need to be talked about.
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"When Queer Eye came out, it was really difficult because I was like, 'Do I want to talk about my status?'" he continued.
"And then I was like, 'The Trump administration has done everything they can do to have the stigmatisation of the LGBT+ community thrive around me'. I do feel the need to talk about this."
After the article went live, the star soon shared an update on his Instagram Stories in which he thanked everyone who reached out to him, sharing that he was "feeling so much love and support".
"Just want to say thank you all so much especially my Queer Eye family and countless other friends and family for reaching out today," he added.
"Not only to the people who I have known but everyone else who has showered me with grace. It truly means the world."
Related: Gareth Thomas gets emotional on This Morning while talking about HIV diagnosis
In his memoir, Jonathan describes being diagnosed with the condition at the age of 25, after he fainted while at work in a hair salon. The next day he visited Planned Parenthood and tested positive for HIV.
"That day was just as devastating as you would think it would be," he wrote.
In a separate interview with The Guardian's Observer Magazine, Jonathan added that it took him "some time to figure out how to put [his] life together", but he also credits the diagnosis for encouraging him to "fight".
"I absolutely do not think I'd have been as socially aware or conscious or want to make as much of a difference. It gave me a reason to really fight," he explained.
He continued: "It occurred to me: what if everything I've ever been through was preparing me for this moment – to be strong enough to share this, and to share it on my own terms.
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"Part of that for me is to process what's happened, but the bigger part is that I wanted to do something to move the conversation forward in a meaningful way around HIV/Aids, and what it is to live with HIV, and to humanise and normalise a lot of the things I talk about."
Jonathan also added that he wants to address false perceptions about living with HIV, acknowledging that the stigma is still hard to overcome.
"These are all difficult subjects to talk about on a makeover show about hair and makeup," he added. "That doesn't mean Queer Eye is less valid, but I want people to realise you're never too broken to be fixed."
Modern medicine means that HIV+ people can live regular and healthy lives, and cannot pass it on to other people. You can find out more information here.
Queer Eye airs on Netflix, while Over The Top: My Story by Jonathan Van Ness will be published on September 24, and is available to pre-order now.
Simon & Schuster UK Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness
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Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
