Not since his days as a Welsh rugby international had Gareth Thomas faced nerves like those which greeted him backstage in New York before delivering a TED Talk on banishing the ongoing stigma around HIV.
But with that challenge successfully negotiated and a global audience made aware of his message, the 48-year-old is now hoping to carry the momentum into a campaign closer to home.
The Tackle HIV Myth Bus Tour will launch at the Cardiff Half Marathon on October 2 and go on to visit Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, and London, offering educational information on HIV as well as encouraging and offering testing advice, information and test kits to the public.
