Dick Donato is perhaps best known for winning season 8 of the reality show "Big Brother." His persona is that of a reality-TV villain who goes by the nickname "Evel Dick," and he has since appeared on VH1's "Couples Therapy" with his girlfriend Stephanie Rogness-Fischer. However, something no one knew about him until recently is the fact that he has been living with HIV.

On this past Wednesday's episode of "Couple's Therapy," Donato revealed that he has been living with HIV since 2011. According to the Huffington Post, Donato first learned he was HIV positive when he was competing on season 13 of "Big Brother."

 In an interview with People Magazine, Donato stated, "[The producers] told me that something was wrong with my blood test. They had done two HIV tests. One had come back positive and the other had come back negative... when they told me, I went numb," conveying how shocking the diagnosis was to him.

He continued, "My biggest fear was telling my girlfriend... 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."

After the tests came back positive, Donato quickly left the show. He has since stated that he is unsure how he contracted HIV, but thinks it may have happened after he had unprotected sex with a woman. He commented, "People are going to make assumptions about how I got it, and that's okay...we create a stigma around the disease that makes it hard for people to publicly say they have it," highlighting some of the struggles that those with HIV face under the public spotlight.

Donato has also said that the diagnosis has changed him for the better. He told People, "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."

He added, "I knew it wasn't a death sentence like it used to be...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."