Charlie Sheen endorses condom brand

Charlie Sheen is endorsing a condom brand.

The 50-year-old actor – who announced last year that he is HIV positive – has been announced as a brand ambassador for LELO HEX in a bid to promote safe sex.

LELO said: "We know Charlie Sheen has the voice and character needed to drive awareness on the issue, while LELO has the design and technology expertise to make change happen…we can potentially change the world of safe sex for good."

Charlie admitted that his diagnosis "radically" changed his opinion of condom use.

He told PEOPLE: "It’s stuff people don’t want to talk about, and I figured: If I’m involved, maybe they’ll talk about it. This is a way to prevent a lot of s**t from happening, from disease to unwanted pregnancies. But it’s still taboo for some reason.

"I don’t think it’s ever a bad time to be an advocate for something like this. I did use them a lot. But, you know, those few times [I didn’t]…

"If you ask most people that have HIV, ‘How did you get it?’ nobody really knows. I mean, I’m sure there’s a select few that do. But you can never really pinpoint the moment.

"You spend five seconds putting [a condom] on, and you prevent a lifetime of stress, potentially."

Charlie is currently more than half way through a 14-week trial of a new drug called PRO 140 and says he is feeling healthy after a traditional drug cocktail treatment left him with a number of issues.

He said: "[It caused] a lot of stomach problems, migraines, a disconnect – like a petite form of dementia, at times, not really knowing where you were; what was going on at the time – and it created a depression.

He said: "This is one shot a week that they’re actually moving towards having bi-monthly and then, ultimately, just once a month. But the test I’m in now is once a week, and there’s no side effects.

"I’m really excited about being on the cutting edge and being a part of something I think is going to help a lot of people."