It all started when Christian sent Gareth a pair of slip-ons. As they say, the shoe fit, and the two have been bosom buddies ever since.

Yet this encounter seemed at first improbable. Christian is Christian Louboutin, the celebrated shoemaker who partied in the wild Le Palace years. Gareth is Gareth Thomas, the burly rugby player with the shy stare and seductively thick Welsh accent who rose to superstardom when he came out two years ago. The confession touched a chord with gay men around the world, among them Louboutin, who offered the sportsman a pair of slip-ons embroidered with his tattoos. Soon after, the two met for the first time in Cardiff, Wales, bonding along the city’s romantic coastline.

The relationship has since blossomed into a bromance of sorts, triggering professions of immaculate friendship in the British press. “I come down on the train to London, and I’m looking forward to seeing him, thinking of all the things I can say. These days I own more of Louby’s shoes than I do rugby boots,” Gareth told to the Evening Standard.

So it’s little wonder the stud was photographed for Louboutin’s new monograph celebrating his 20-year career. If divas like Arielle Dombasle and Dita Von Teese provide the book with a fair share of camp, Gareth infuses it with a welcome dose of testosterone, his Hellenic profile and stout, naked body powdered to resemble a Greek statue.

In the making of video below, the newly-retired Rugby player quips, “I didn’t know I had such a good ass.” Well, we did.