Former Big Brother houseguest Dick "Evel Dick" Donato has revealed a very personal secret on an episode of VH1's Couples Therapy with Dr. Jenn, which airs Wednesday night.
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Donato, who won Big Brother's eighth season in 2007 and then briefly competed on Season 13, appeared on Couples Therapy with his on-again, off-again girlfriend Stephanie Rogness-Fischer. During a therapy session with Dr. Jenn Berman, Donato announced he's been living with HIV since 2011, People reported.
"It's been a major ordeal in my life. The reason that I left Big Brother 13 -- they asked me to go back on the show, and after six days I left. And this is -- oh my God. It was like insane. Every news station, TMZ and everybody were stalking me for a long time. There were a million rumors of why I left and so on and so forth, but nobody ever knew. Nobody ever found out," Donato, 51, told Berman in a Couples Therapy clip obtained by People.
"The truth of the matter -- I'm coming clean and going public with this whole thing. How do I put it? When you go on that show, they give you like a million tests -- blood tests and so on and so forth -- and it turned out that I was HIV positive. It was just one of the most surreal times in my entire life."
Donato elaborated on his diagnosis, going public and his prognosis in an interview with the magazine.
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When competing on the thirteenth season of Big Brother, producers called Donato into the house's Diary Room, which was when the reality TV star was given some life-changing news.
"They told me that something was wrong with my blood test. They had done two HIV tests. One had come back positive and the other had come back negative," Donato explained, adding that the show's doctor executed another blood test to verify the results within two hours.
Donato said when they told him he was HIV positive, he "went numb." The network told viewers and cast members he left Big Brother for an unspecified "personal matter." Donato denied various rumors about the cause of his departure for three years without ever revealing any details or the actual reason for his exit -- until now.
"They had a car take me from CBS to my mother's house. She was the first person I told. My biggest fear was telling my girlfriend. We had this long discussion, and I figured she would freak out. But she was really understanding about the whole thing. She said, 'Whatever happens, we'll face it together.' She was tested and it came back negative. It was an incredible relief," Donato told People.
Donato apparently suspects he contracted the disease by engaging in unprotected sex with a woman.
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"People are going to make assumptions about how I got it, and that's okay. People are afraid to come forward because they're afraid of the stigma of HIV. I'm not gay and I've never stuck a needle in my arm, but at this point, it doesn't matter. We create a stigma around the disease that makes it hard for people to publicly say they have it," Donato said.
"Being diagnosed is like being blindfolded and spun around 100 times, then being left in a dark room. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out my next steps [for treatment] -- the right doctors and medications. I really began to understand how frustrating it could be."
Donato admitted he was afraid people would find out about his disease without his consent.
"I went to a clinic that had a big sign that said 'HIV' and I thought, 'What if someone sees me?' My computer and router were hacked and I was afraid that someone would leak the information. I came up with excuses -- people wondered why I was taking medicine regularly. When people asked why I left Big Brother, I would give quippy, smart-ass answers," the reality TV star confessed.
"Look, I get that I'm a reality-show villain. But for better or for worse, I have a platform. And I decided that it was time to just publicly say what I'm dealing with. On one hand, I'm doing this for myself: I don't want to hide anymore. On the other hand, I hope it will remind viewers to get tested, practice safe sex, all those things we know in the back of our minds but maybe don't do. After I told everyone on Couples Therapy, I had two production people pull me aside and say that they had gotten tested. I feel like I can do some good."
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Donato further elaborated that he's on medication and unfortunately will be for the rest of his life.
"I take one pill a day. The only side effect I've noticed is that I have a lot of vivid dreams that wake me up during the night. But it's a small price to pay: My viral load is virtually undetectable, I'm happy to say. I live a very normal life and don't have a lot of health issues. It also means that it's highly unlikely I could pass the disease along, although I don't have unsafe sex anymore," Donato explained.
"I fully expect to die of something else when I get old, not HIV or AIDS. I knew it wasn't a death sentence like it used to be. But it has still changed me. I do think about others a lot more now. I'm looking forward to going public with this, because maybe, just maybe, this can be the moment where I do something that really helps other people."
In a later episode, Donato will reportedly discuss his disease with the rest of the show's cast.
VH1's Couples Therapy with Dr. Jenn airs Wednesday nights at 9PM ET/PT.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski