Love Island star Thomas Powell has revealed his addiction to steroids forced him to get breast surgery - but he has has no plans on quitting the habit.
The reality TV contestant, 30, live-streamed his breast operation last week, after taking Performance Enhancing-Drugs left him with a condition known as gynaecomastia, which causes boys' and mens' breasts to swell and become larger than normal.
Despite that side-effect, Thomas told OK! that he has no plans to kick the habit.
Just days after the surgery, he told the magazine: "Hell yes! Without a doubt, I will be on steroids for life."
"I don't drink, I don't take drugs, I'm not a party animal. So steroids is sort of my poison - the benefits I get from it are so much healthier than me going out," he said.
Gynaecomastia can be caused by different factors, such as obesity, hormone imbalance and puberty, but Thomas freely accepts it was due to injected steroids creating too much testosterone in his body.
The Love Island 2016 competitor first came across growth hormones at the age of 16, when he was part of the Welsh rugby team and hurt himself.
Only after he appeared on Love Island did he use them again, setting his sights on making it in the fitness industry and cashing in on sponsorship deals.
Beginning with testosterone injections, he then started using compounds of steroids, including testosterone enanthate and testosterone propionate.
Sports competition have banned the testosterone injections he uses.
Since 2017, Thomas has undergone six cycles of steroids, having researched them going on a course.
He is currently pausing the steroids, but has plans no plans to quit, claiming that growth hormone has benefits, such as better hair growth and skin growth.
However, the NHS debunks claims that anabolic steroids will help people become "fit and healthy."
The NHS website says: "Some people believe taking anabolic steroids will help them become fit and healthy. This isn't true: taking anabolic steroids is a dangerous drug habit.
It goes on: "Regularly taking anabolic steroids can lead to physical and psychological changes in both men and women, as well as potentially dangerous medical conditions."
Although he plans to take PEDS in low dosages for the foreseeable future, Thomas states he doesn't recommend them to anyone.
"If you are going to take them, take them as safely as possible. You need to know the ins and outs," he says.
Thomas hopes sharing his breast surgery in such a candid way will help erode the stigma around those types of ops on men.
Thomas, who dated fellow islander Sophie Gradon, who tragically took her own life in June 2019, has previously revealed the constant pressure to look good drove him to use anabolic steroids.
"Everyone in South Wales is on them - it is rife here," said the star in 2019.
"The temptation to take them has always been there but I felt I didn't know enough about it. I was reading about steroids for years.
"After Love Island, I was mixing with some of my idols in the fitness industry and I found out they were all on steroids, so I decided to make the leap.
"I don't think Love Island had that much of an impact on my decision. It might have sped up the process but I think I would have ended up taking them anyway.”
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