Being a top referee in a sport comes with it's own spotlight. It's one that Nigel Owens appears to flourish in, as his other career as a stand-up comic and after dinner speaker sometimes finds its way onto the rugby pitch.
But life wasn't always this easy for Owens. The openly gay referee struggled with his sexuality before he came out. Speaking to 3 news in New Zealand where he'll be refereeing this weekend's upcoming Bledisloe Cup decider between the All Blacks and Australia, Owens was asked about a range of things.
Speaking after dealing with hecklers both on the pitch and as a comic, he was asked how it managed to come out as gay in what is a predominantly heterosexual sport:
It was a very tough, very difficult time in my life. I think the most difficult challenege that anyone comes across in their lives is dealing with who you are and I was dealing with in their lives is dealing with who you are and I was dealing with being someone I didn't want to be, and that was alien to me at 18, 19 years of age.
I didn't really know a gay person back then, I didn't know what being gay was about. I was becoming someone I didn't want to be, and I did something that I will regret for the rest of my life.
I was in a state of getting depressed over the years because of dealing with it and I left a note for my mum and dad and said I wasn't able to carry on with my life anymore.
If I hadn't been found by the rescue helicopter and taken to the local hospital - you know another 20 minutes and I would have been dead and gone because I had attempted suicide.
That was the wake up call. When I woke up in hospital after a few days in intensive care and your mom tells you that you're their only child and that if you do anything like that and you take me and your dad with you, and I released I better grow up here.
The challenge of refereeing a Bledisloe Cup decider on Saturday compared to the challenge that I had to overcome in my life back then in a very very dark and difficult time. It will be difficult but not as difficult as what I've experience in my life.
Rugby Union, to me, is the greatest team sport. Not only on the field in the world, but certainly off it as well with the people, the communities pulling together
If it wasn't for the great sport that rugby union is and allowing me to be who I am, I wouldn't be able to do the job and probably wouldn't be here today speaking to you.
Undoubtedly a difficult thing to speak about but something which Owens does with remarkable delicacy.
You can watch the full extended video on the 3 News website here
