The stars, including Charlene White from Loose Women, TV doctor Dr Ranj, and Adam Williams from I Kissed a Boy, are encouraging the public to order a free HIV home test kit and know their HIV status.
Recent polling data indicates that only 20% of adults in England report having ever been tested for HIV. Among women, 21% reported not being tested because they were never offered a test. In contrast, nearly 30% of men reported not testing, claiming that even though they had engaged in condomless sex, they did not believe their partners were at risk of having HIV.
The Terrence Higgins Trust, an HIV charity, highlights that many people believe HIV cannot affect them or their partners. This misconception is a significant barrier to getting tested for HIV and can result in late diagnoses when the virus has already impacted an individual’s immune system. In England, an estimated 4,700 people are living with undiagnosed HIV. In 2024, 50% of new diagnoses were among heterosexuals, while 29% were among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.
During National HIV Testing Week, which takes place from 9 February to 15th, anyone in England can order a free and confidential HIV test to use at home. The free self-tests available can provide results in just 15 minutes.
The government aims to eliminate new HIV transmissions in England by 2030. In December, they published a new HIV Action Plan supported by over £170 million in funding. One of the Plan’s five key priorities is to increase HIV testing. If the test result is negative, individuals can take steps to maintain their negative status. If the result is reactive, people living with HIV can access life-saving treatment, allowing them to live full, healthy lives and preventing the virus from being transmitted to sexual partners or newborns.
Adam Williams, HIV-advocate and star of BBC Three’s I Kissed a Boy told QX:
“Testing for HIV really is self-care. If it’s a negative result, you can take steps to stay negative. If, like me, it’s positive, you get access to treatment that lets you live a very long, healthy and meaningful life. I take one pill a day and HIV doesn’t hold me back.
“I was diagnosed because of an HIV test I took at home. Afterwards, I did a lot of looking-inward and self-discovery – connecting with other people living with HIV through HIV charities was such an important part of that. I went on I Kissed A Boy to show the world that life for people living with HIV can be very normal: I still go on dates, have sex and do everything I was doing before. The only difference is my one pill a day, which means I can’t pass it on during sex.”
Anyone in England can order a free and confidential HIV test from freetesting.hiv to do at home.
