Charlie Sheen has revealed he is the mystery Hollywood actor with HIV, in a sit down interview on NBC‘s the Today Show.

The 50-year-old actor sat down with host Matt Lauer to publicly announce his illness after rife speculation about who the previously undisclosed A-lister could be.

Police visited Sheen’s home yesterday as he prepared to open up about his HIV status in the interview. Officers were spotted parked outside of the star’s home in Beverly Hills.

It is thought police were helping to keep the peace as reporters and photographers gathered outside.

It comes as his ex-girlfriend Bree Olsen, who lived with the actor four years ago, posted on Twitter, saying she was being tested for HIV.

Bree – who didn’t directly mention the star – tweeted: “Recorded myself for half an hour being tested for HIV and getting the results. This is so stressful.”

UNILADs Charlie Sheen Has Confirmed He Is HIV Positive imageCharlie Sheen and ex-girlfriend Bree Olson

The TV interview was described by the channel ahead of time as a “revealing personal announcement” and it certainly lived up to its billing.

Speculation was mounting that Sheen was set to be named as the actor living with the virus, as a result of his promiscuous sex life, and his morning show appearance is believed to have been timed to beat a National Enquirer report accusing Sheen of contracting the virus before spreading it to dozens of women, and then heading a “multi-million dollar cover-up”.

The website read:

After an exhaustive 18-month investigation, the ENQUIRER reveals the sex-crazed 50-year-old actor, who has a long history of sleeping with porn stars, strippers and groupies of both sexes, is now desperate to cover up his medical crisis, and it’s costing him millions.

UNILADs Charlie Sheen Has Confirmed He Is HIV Positive imageCharlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller/Hello Magazine

The article went on to quote a “close friend” of the star, who said: “Charlie thought he was indestructible and took no precautions – even though he was indulging in high-risk sex practices.”

The magazine also disclosed allegations from Sheen’s ex-wife, Brooke Mueller, who claimed he “potentially” infected her with HIV.

Sheen, who has boasted of sleeping with more than 5,000 women, is alleged to have confessed his illness to almost a dozen sources prior to this interview.