Former rugby star's devastating diagnosis after he lost whole days to blackouts

Leigh Davies was a hugely gifted Wales rugby international who struggled after retiring — and soon discovered why. Mark Orders learns how he strives to stay positive amid adversity

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Former Wales rugby player Leigh Davies has spoken about his early onset dementia following his illustrious playing career

(Rob Browne)

LEIGH Davies moves across the cafe area at David Lloyd Swansea, changing gear effortlessly to avoid a man who has strayed into his path.

For a split-second, the mind flicks back 30 years to a 19-year-old in the black of Neath surging past opponents with a compelling blend of power and pace.

A coffee drinker looks up on clocking the former Wales international and so does a laptop user. Maybe they have both recognised Davies, maybe not. He looks well. Probably, they don't know the full story.

For Davies has a serious brain injury, early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He is on a list of former players engaged in a lawsuit against rugby's governing bodies, claiming those same authorities failed to take reasonable action to protect them from brain injuries.

Davies had been experiencing problems over a long period prior to receiving his diagnosis.

"I went up to London for a scan and they tested my neurons and pathways," he says. "They told me that of the group they were looking at, I had one of the highest rates of neuron damage. Half of what they were testing was in a state.

"I'd been having problems for a long time - memory loss and a sort of vertigo feeling in my brain. Then I started having blackouts.

"I might run through my working week, arrange to meet someone at the weekend but just crash for up to 18-20 hours, missing all my meetings or appointments or anything else I'd planned. If someone asked where I'd been, I'd say, 'Sleeping.' It wasn't normal behaviour, but it's how it was. I'd wake up having missed whole days or whole nights. It went on for a number of years."