EXCLUSIVE: Ellie Harrison was diagnosed with HIV when she was 21 - and found she was treated differently by men when it came to dating - 'I used to get so anxious and upset'
Navigating the modern dating world is tricky at the best of times, but for Ellie Harrison, it's a labyrinth of emotional challenges. Diagnosed with HIV at 21, Ellie, an operations manager, has faced a stark change in people's behaviour towards her.
In spite of new figures showing that around 106,890 individuals in the UK live with HIV, they continue to experience stigma in everyday life. Shockingly, recent findings by the Terrence Higgins Trust revealed that a significant portion of Brits would feel uncomfortable: a full 50% admitting unease at the thought of kissing someone with HIV, and 41% hesitant about going on a date with them.
In spite of her initial struggle, Ellie bravely went public with her diagnosis three years later. Her advocacy for HIV awareness means she often doesn't have to explain her status on dates many are already aware due to her open discussion of her condition. Ellie has opened up about the mental toll of living with HIV, revealing that the stigma can lead to anxiety and depression. She shared her own struggles: "From a mental health perspective, it's been a lot. For the rest of my life, there will always be times when it feels like that," and recounted the particularly tough time after her diagnosis: "The first year was really turbulent and, unfortunately, a group of lads found out and told everyone at uni, which was horrific.
She wants to show others that a diagnosis doesn't mean an end to normal life. Just two days after her diagnosis, she began medication which reduced her viral load to undetectable levels, meaning she can't pass on the virus.
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