Former Rugby Player Claims Stroke Turned Him Gay

A former British rugby player claims a stroke turned him gay overnight, the Daily Mail reported.

Chris Birch, 26, a bank clerk, broke his neck while attempting a back flip and suffered a stroke in 2005. When he woke up, he told his family he was no longer interested in women.

"It sounds strange, but when I came round, I immediately felt different," Birch told the Daily Mail. "I wasn't interested in women any more. I was definitely gay. I had never been attracted to a man before - I'd never even had any gay friends."

His mental transformation was accompanied by a physical one – Birch lost 110 pounds, cut his hair and started dating men.

He also quit his job in order to study hairdressing.

During the months he spent in recovery, Birch said his family and friends hoped he would revert to his former self.

“I had to learn to walk, eat, even speak again and all my family were supporting me, hoping they would see the old Chris come back soon enough,” he told the Mirror.

“My old friends would come round and visit me but the conversation would dry up straightaway. I wasn’t interested in the rugby scores, going down the pub to watch football or anything else I used to do.

“Suddenly, I hated everything about my old life. I didn't get on with my friends, I hated sport and found my job boring.

“Everyone said I was more sarcastic, behaved differently and that even my mannerisms had changed, but to me the way I felt was natural. So I started avoiding seeing my old friends who wanted me to be someone I wasn’t,” he said.

Birch began going to dance clubs to meet new friends, including one man he eventually entered a relationship with.

“I continued seeing this man and then one night we slept together. I knew then that I wasn’t interested in women any more. I was definitely gay,” he told the Mirror.

He now lives with a 19 year-old lover above the hair salon he works in, according to the Daily Mail.

Click here to read more from the Daily Mail.