'Big Brother' Winner Dick Donato Reveals That He Is HIV Positive Before Appearing On 'Couples Therapy'

Big Brother 8 winner Dick Donato will appearing on VH1's Couples Therapy, and he has a lot to talk about. MStars News has learned that Donato will be revealing to the world that he has been living with HIV since 2011.

According to PEOPLE, Donato, whose nickname is "Evel Dick," is appearing on Couples Therapy Wednesday night with his on-again, off-again girlfriend Stephanie Rogness-Fischer where he will let the secret out of the bag during the episode.

Donato will reveal his struggle living with the virus with the show's therapist, Dr. Jenn Berman. Later on Donato will share his illness in detail with the rest of the show's cast, including The Bachelor's Juan Pablo Galavis and Nikki Ferrell.

Donato, 51, talked about his life, and how it is living with HIV.

When Donato was competing on season 13 of Big Brother producers told him to report to the Diary Room where they told him the news. "They told me that something was wrong with my blood test," he remembered. "They had done two HIV tests. One had come back positive and the other had come back negative." The show's doctor decided to do more blood test and 2 hours later is when Donato's life would change. "When they told me, I just went numb," he revealed to PEOPLE. Donato soon after left the show. "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," Donato said. "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 is unsure just how he contracted HIV, but he thinks that it happened when he had unprotected sex with a woman. "People are going to make assumptions about how I got it, and that's okay," Dick said. "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 has been doing some research on treatment for HIV. "Being diagnosed is like being blindfolded and spun around 100 times, then being left in a dark room," he shared. "I spent a lot of time trying to figure out my next steps – the right doctors and medications. I really began to understand how frustrating it could be."

For three years, Donato tried to keep his disease away from the public eye. "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."

He continued, "Look, I get that I'm a reality-show villain," he claims. "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."

Donato will have to be on meds for the rest of his life. "I take one pill a day," he revealed. "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. 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," Donato claims, "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."

Don't forget to watch Couples Therapy airs Wednesday night at 9 p.m. EST only on VH1.