Charlie Sheen Goes Into Detail About His Battle With HIV

NBC

After weeks of speculation it’s now been revealed that Charlie Sheen is the mystery Hollywood actor with HIV.

Sheen decided to come clean on NBC‘s Today programme this morning (midday in the UK).

NBC announced on their website: “In a Today exclusive, Charlie Sheen will make a revealing personal announcement on Tuesday November 17 in a sit-down interview with Matt Lauer.”

And now Sheen has given the interview, in which he admitted he’s “HIV positive”, saying he came forward to stop all the rumours.

In the interview he said he was actually diagnosed four years back, and initially thought he had a brain tumour, The Mirror reported.

Speaking about the ‘hush money’ he’s reportedly paid sexual partners over the years, he said: “That’s money you’ve taken from my kids”.

But Sheen refused to go into details and say how many people he’s paid off.

The actor also said a prostitute had threatened to blackmail him after she saw his HIV medication in his bathroom.

He went on to say that it’s impossible that he knowingly passed on the virus to anyone he had sex with as he used protection – since diagnosis he’s only had unprotected sex with two people, who he says are “under the care of my doctor”.

A medical professional who has worked with Sheen for roughly five years, Dr Robert Huizenga, said the actor doesn’t have AIDS, and that the medication he takes has suppressed the disease so that there’s an “undetectable level of virus in his blood”.

Sheen is on four pills a day to help suppress the illness – people who treat HIV properly have an extremely low risk of passing it on. Since he was diagnosed, he’s never missed his medication.

He admitted he’s expecting a barrage of lawsuits following the revelations, saying: “I’m sure that’s next.” And in regards to criminal charges: “I completely understand and respect that.”

Sheen also said he has been sued, but just with threats to reveal his condition, rather than for contamination.

He revealed he told some of his family:

And after he learned of the diagnosis his life got a bit crazy:

I was depressed by the condition I was in. I was doing a lot of drugs. I was drinking want too much. I was making really bad decisions. That part I own 100 per cent.

He went on to say he has no plans to become the ‘poster man’ for the illness, but he will take care of his responsibilities as a celebrity with HIV, in order to help others.

As far as what the future holds, the actor says he looks forward to doing another show, adding that despite his condition he’s ‘still the best guy for the job’.