Jack Whitehall admits he was ‘terrified’ when he contracted coronavirus as he thought he had given it to his 80-year-old father Michael
Jack Whitehall revealed he was worried he’d given his 80-year-old father Michael coronavirus when he was diagnosed with the disease.
The comedian, 31, revealed he had visited his parents a week before he knew he had contracted COVID-19, and prior to the UK’s lockdown, and admitted he was ‘terrified’ he’d passed it on.
Speaking in an interview with Radio Times on Tuesday, Jack said: ‘We went over for dinner as the lockdown was just about to start. I have had Covid. I had it the first week of the lockdown.
‘It was a scary couple of weeks’: Jack Whitehall admitted on Tuesday that he was ‘terrified’ when he contracted coronavirus and thought he had given it to his 80-year-old father Michael
‘I had every symptom, the whole situation. I had it quite badly, and then the rest of the people in my household had it as well.
‘At that point, I was absolutely “zero contact”. I had to be so careful, and was really careful not to leave the house, and to follow the guidelines in the right way.’
Of how concerned he was about his father, he went on: ‘I was really terrified that I’d seen Michael the week before and had no idea that I had it.
‘It was a very scary couple of weeks, not wanting to hear him cough on the other end of the phone.’
Concern: Jack went for dinner with his dad before the lockdown was put into place, and then had COVID-19 the first week of quaranting which made him fear he’d given it to Michael
‘I realise that a lot of people would have been going through that, and a lot of people are experiencing this right now, and how scared they must be. That feeling that you could give it to someone you love is totally overwhelming,’ Jack added.
Michael stepped in and said he felt ‘lucky’ to have his wife Hilary by his side during the lockdown, as she’s helped make him feel less vulnerable despite being in the age bracket considered at high-risk.
Jack has been spending quarantine with girlfriend Roxy Horner, after the couple made their relationship official just before lockdown.
Worried: Jack said of his fear he’d passed on the disease: ‘It was a very scary couple of weeks, not wanting to hear him cough on the other end of the phone’ (pictured in December)
Roxy and Jack are said to have made their romance exclusive just before the UK-wide coronavirus lockdown.
The comedian has shared his first Instagram post with the model and even posted a funny video of her giving him a quarantine haircut.
A source told The Sun: ‘Jack and Roxy are enjoying being in isolation together. It’s all very new but they’re in their own little bubble and things are perfect at the moment.
‘Being on lockdown in a honeymoon period is certainly one way to get to know each other quickly. But the more time they spend together the happier they seem.
‘Both have had their share of heartbreak and struggled a bit to find love. It’s time they had some luck.’
Roxy has a string of famous exes, having previously been linked to A-list actor Leonardo DiCaprio and singer Jake Bugg who she split from in December.
Jack has been linked to various women since calling it quits with actress Gemma Chan, 37, in December 2017 after six years together. She is now in a relationship with screen star Dominic Cooper.
The pair are set to appear in Jack Whitehall’s Father’s Day, which airs on BBC One on Friday at 8.30pm. Read the full interview in Radio Times.
Staying in: Jack has been spending quarantine with girlfriend Roxy Horner (L), after the couple made their relationship official just before lockdown