RUGBY PLAYER GOES NAKED FOR AIDS

Hunky British rugby player Sacha Harding has posed in the buff to raise funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS.

The pictures from the photo shoot are featured on the cover and inside the December Gay Times (GT) for the magazine’s annual ‘Naked Issue’, which went on sale on Wednesday.

The twenty-eight-year-old Harding, who is a flanker for the Bedford Blues, has previously been named ‘Britain’s Manliest Man’ in a national competition. He is also an ambassador for the Movember campaign.

“AIDS is such a devastating disease for so many people around the world and I was honoured to get this opportunity to try and do my part to help raise awareness of the disease and ultimately save lives,” said Harding.

“I know I’m going to get some stick from the lads at Bedford but it’s all good fun and the whole campaign has a very serious message which needs promoting,” he added.

GT’s editor Darren Scott said he was delighted to feature Sacha on the front cover.

“How could we not have Britain’s manliest man on our cover? Our readers do like their men to be real men! It’s an absolute joy to have a straight rugby player be so willing to take part in a shoot for Britain’s longest-running gay magazine,” he said.

This year’s GT ‘Naked Issue’ features a total of 54 naked men.