Former Wales captain Gareth Thomas has revealed that he has lost a family member to coronavirus.
The pandemic has swept across the globe in recent weeks and led to mass lockdowns and stringent social disctancing measures being brought in by the UK Government.
Earlier today it was confirmed that 6,159 have now lost their lives to Covid-19 in the UK, with confirmed cases rising to 55,242. Wales' death toll hit 212 today, with 3,790 cases now being declared.
Thomas, who represented Wales 100 times in a 12-year career, also revealed his fear for his daughter, who works for the NHS.
"This virus has affected me, I have had family members die, I have friends and family in hospital," Thomas told Radio 5 Live.
"I have someone who has a funeral tomorrow [Wednesday], a family member, and none of us can go, and my daughter works for the NHS and I am petrified for her.
"I have all this fear so I don't just want to share happiness, I want people to see the reality of what is going on in the world right now."
Earlier this week, it emerged that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been moved to intensive care after being admitted to hospital 10 days with the virus.
The PM is currently in a "stable" condition but news of the severity of his illness led to some shameful posts on social media.
"When I read a lot of messages I felt physically sick, there was one which said they were hoping he dies and it was painful," said Thomas.
"Are we really living in a society where people can justify saying that because they disagree with something he has done or what he represents?
"That is not justification to want someone dead.
"He's got family, he's got friends and a partner with an unborn child.
"Not long ago on social media we were saying to be kind and all of a sudden a lot of people have forgotten about that."
