Hollywood actor Charlie Sheen has revealed that he is HIV positive.
He admitted this during a television interview on Tuesday that followed weeks of speculation about his condition, reports theguardian.com.
"I am here to admit that I'm in fact HIV positive and I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks, of sub-truths, very harmful... Stories that are threatening the health of so many others," Sheen said on the "Today" show.
He said he learned about the diagnosis "roughly four years ago".
"It’s a hard three letters to absorb," Sheen said.
Asked whether he had transmitted HIV to anyone since his diagnosis, Sheen said: "Impossible."
After Sheen's revelation, his doctor Robert Huizenga announced further details about how he has been treated for the virus for the past four years.
Huizenga, Sheen's doctor for "five to six years", clarified the actor's exact medical condition at the present time.
He said Sheen had an undetectable level of HIV in his blood and was "absolutely healthy".
However, he said that he was more concerned about Sheen’s history of substance abuse and depression and how those things could negatively affect his HIV treatment.
Sheen said he was not using drugs currently but was taking alcohol.
The actor’s health status has been an open secret in Hollywood in the last few weeks, since the show business website Radar Online published a report that said a Hollywood "megastar" was HIV positive.
The report did not name Sheen, but contained enough clues to ensure he was quickly identified as the most likely subject of the story.
The National Enquirer tabloid named Sheen on Monday, and "Today" makers announced that Sheen would appear on the show to "make a revealing personal announcement" in an interview with lead anchor Matt Lauer.
CBS fired Sheen from the long-running sitcom "Two and a Half Men" in March 2011 after the Golden Globe-winning actor had a public meltdown and criticised the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre. Filming had been disrupted in the previous year as Sheen, who was the highest-paid actor on television at the time, received treatment for drug addiction.
Sheen’s film credits include "Major League", "Hot Shots" and "Being John Malkovich".
(Source: IANS)
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