![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.towleroad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/hicks_stanley.jpeg?resize=740%2C745\")
<\/p>\nFormer Rugby Player Sam Stanley Couldn\u2019t Care Less About Your Criticism of His Older Fianc\u00e9<\/b><\/p>\n
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Sam Stanley, a former English Sevens star, was the first British professional rugby player to come out as gay<\/a> when he did so in August 2015<\/a>.<\/p>\n This week, Stanley announced his engagement to travel industry professional Laurence Hicks, his partner of seven years.<\/p>\n Wrote Stanley on Instagram: \u201cAfter being a part of each others lives for almost 7 years, @lorenzo_uk has been my pretend godfather, uncle, cousin and many others in order to make sure no one found out about us and that we were a couple<\/a> ? funny looking back after having come so far together. The most loving man<\/a> I know and I\u2019m incredibly happy to say we\u2019re now engaged ?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n While he got tons\u00a0of support, Stanley\u2019s announcement was\u00a0criticized on social media because of the couple<\/a>\u2019s difference in age according to the UK\u2019s\u00a0Attitude<\/em> magazine, but Stanley took the criticism in stride<\/a>.<\/p>\n Said Stanley to Attitude<\/em>:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure as everyone knows, you\u2019re not doing anything right if you\u2019re not getting criticised in this world. Laurence & I love each other and to us that\u2019s all that matters. We\u2019re proud to represent the many relationships like ours.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that the couple<\/a> met on a website called silverdaddies.com<\/a> when Stanley was closeted and fell in love very quickly. The couple<\/a> are now living in Sicily where Stanley is planning to run a gym and Hicks is still working in travel.<\/p>\n Congrats to the happy couple<\/a>.<\/p>\n The post Former Rugby Player Sam Stanley Couldn\u2019t Care Less About Your Criticism of His Older Fianc\u00e9<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\nRELATED:\u00a0Rugby Union Star Sam Stanley Comes Out as Gay<\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n
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