Gavin Henson on autism, shaving his legs and struggles with rugby fame

Gavin Henson has opened up on how realising he is on the autism spectrum helped him understand why he struggled with life as a rugby star.

A key figure in the Grand Slam winning teams of 2005 and 2008, he was one of Wales' best-known faces for his exploits on and off the pitch.

His celebrity status was further enhanced through his relationship with singer Charlotte Church and appearances on television shows such as The Bachelor and Strictly Come Dancing.

But he admitted the seemingly ultra-confident player - who had immaculately-gelled hair, shaved his legs and wore fake tan - was a world away from the socially awkward person off the field.

Henson described his public and private personalities as "two extremes", adding that he found it "really hard socially".

"But you know, I've learnt over the years. I fit in better now, it was hard then.

"I probably wouldn't talk, find it hard to greet people and stuff like that. But I've learnt over the years how, make contact with the eyes, things like that."

Henson, now 44, appeared on Scrum V Top 5 with comedian Mike Bubbins, who introduced him as the most famous player in Wales in the 2000s.

"A man who always played better than he looked... and he always looked amazing," Bubbins added.

Henson described how, growing up, he had always wanted to be a famous rugby player, and in his pursuit of this, never went out drinking and partying with his school friends.

But when he started playing for Swansea RFC as an 18-year-old, he found drinking was a big part of the rugby culture.

"You were judged as a youngster coming in, whether you fitted into the scene, and had a drink and let yourself go a bit," Henson added.

"Because there were some youngsters that didn't and there were senior players then mainly, they didn't accept them.

"I went in on all parts - you want to fit in."

Henson became a central part of a star-studded Ospreys side at the inception of regional rugby in 2003, going on to win 33 caps for Wales, as well as playing for the British & Irish Lions, French side Toulon and Bristol.

"[I had] some amazing experiences. But I'm not that person day-to-day, it's a difficult environment for me," he added.

"I didn't quite fit into the norm. I have said I'm on the [autism] spectrum, and stuff like that [autism] was never talked about and knew about [when he was young].

"I think people may have understood me a bit better."

The lifelong condition affects communication and can make socialising seem confusing or overwhelming, according to the National Autistic Society.

Autistic people may also have intense interests and be more comfortable with a routine.

While it is now more widely-diagnosed and estimated to affect one in 100 people or more, Henson said it explained how he acted in social settings.

But he said it helped him excel on the field, adding: "I'd always have this massive excitement, couldn't wait to go out and show off.

"I was quite insular, but that was my moment, where I can express then. I had everything all singing, all dancing, how I looked.

"It's the fake tan, do the hair, the look, click the fingers and let's go."

He believes the hyper-focus autism gave him on the field is still with him today, playing at outside half every Saturday for his local side Pencoed.

"I'd break down my whole game and try to perfect every part of it," he added.

"I was always searching for that perfect game. I'm still searching for it now at Pencoed."

While it's no longer the biggest stage he is playing on, some elements of the Henson heyday remain.

After admitting he shaved his legs in the build-up to the Wales v England game in 2005, commentator Eddie Butler famously shouted "shave away Gavin, shave away", after he kicked the winning penalty.

"My legs are still shaved from the weekend," he told Bubbins with a smile.

On the show, he gave his top five rugby players, starting with former Olympic hurdler Nigel Walker, who was a lightning quick winger for Wales and Cardiff after switching to rugby.

Fourth was the mercurial Arwel Thomas, who was the star man for Swansea and whom Henson tried to learn off when starting out as a young player.

He listed Shane Williams as someone who single-handedly kept the Ospreys in so many games, and without whom, Wales wouldn't have won Grand Slams in 2005 or 2008.

His second choice made Bubbins raise his eyebrows, going for someone from over the bridge - current England outside half George Ford.

While playing at Bath as a 31-year-old, a young Ford, then 19, was supposed to learn from the experienced Welshman - but Henson said Ford's maturity both on and off the field blew him away and meant it was the other way around.

His top pick, though, was a man he described as "a club legend" at Pencoed, someone who was at the forefront of British & Irish Lion success and scored one of the most iconic Welsh tries ever - in the 1999 victory over England at Wembley.

Scott Gibbs was also playing for Swansea when Henson started out and he said: "I ended up sharing lifts [to training] with him.

"It was mad, to go from school, [to spending so much time with] someone I idolised."

He still sees him now and Gibbs occasionally pops into the pub that Henson owns in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The paparazzi cameras that followed him and Church around are long gone and it's a quieter pace of life, but one that suits Henson.

Describing where he's most content, he joked: "Pot washing [in the pub]. I don't have to talk to anyone.

"I kind of like silence, get lost in my thoughts."

Additional reporting by Alex Gatehouse