A whole bottle of salad cream...

Many happy returns (yesterday) to the ultimate "straight ally" of gay rights causes, all-round sexy hunk and former rugby player Ben Cohen. John-John and I have met him a couple of times, and he is every bit as lovely as he appears.

The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation has announced that 14th November each year will mark StandUp Day:

"I lost my own father to violence when he stood up for an employee who was being attacked. I’ve heard from my wonderful friends in the LGBT community about the hard roads too many have travelled. And many parents have shared painful stories with me about how their children, who might be perceived to be different, are ruthlessly attacked and scared of their own schools.

I am passionate about standing up against bullying and homophobia in sports, and feel compelled to take action. It is time we stand up for what is right and support people who are being harmed. Every person on this planet has a right to be true to themselves, to love and be loved, and to be happy. I encourage others to stand up with me and make a difference.

I will be asking people to stand up with me by wearing their StandUp T Shirt or wrist band, by telling at least one person about StandUp, posting or tweeting about how they are standing up, or simply changing their profile picture to the StandUp logo for the day. There are lots of ways.

It is time to stand up against bullying and I am proud to be able to ask you to stand up with me.

Thanks for your continued support."

Ben

A wonderful man (as well as being a sex god...)! I'd like to "stand up" with him, if you know what I mean...



Facts about Ben Cohen:

• He is 16st and 6'3" with size 10 feet - apparently his nickname "Big Ben" was because he was a 10lb baby, not for any other reason (ahem!).
• In 2010, Cohen donated a signed jockstrap to support GMFA, which was sold at auction at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
• He gets through a whole bottle of salad cream every week.

Whew!

Ben Cohen official website