The Bachelorette contestant Peter Giannikopoulos reveals he’s tested positive for COVID-19

He’s one of the contestants vying for the hand of Tayshia Adams on ABC’s The Bachelorette.

And just before made his first appearance on the reality show in Tuesday night’s episode, Peter Giannikopoulos made the bombshell announcement on his Instagram that he’s tested positive for COVID-19.

Alongside a shirtless selfie from his bed, the realtor, 32, shared: ‘The past 24 hours have truly been some of the hardest in my life. Yesterday I tested positive for Covid and have begun two week quarantine.’

Giannikopoulos, who is from Boston, wrote: ‘I am going through a lot of emotions at the moment with so many thoughts in my head as to how this happened. 

‘I felt lousy for a few days but didn’t believe I would contract the virus when I have been wearing a mask in public, washing and sanitizing hands regularly, and following social distancing protocol during work.’

He added: ‘This is an example no matter who we are or what we do, we are all vulnerable.’

In the selfie, he is seen wearing spectacles and sporting a neat goatee.

He also has a nasty gash on his nose and he explained that he had suffered the injury after passing out behind the wheel and crashing his car due to anxiety over his coronavirus diagnosis.

He recounted how, on his way home from the clinic, ‘my car went off road through a guard rail and hit a pole. The air bag deployed, driver side door was wedged in, broken glass everywhere, and I was 5ft away from smashing into a building.’

He said: ‘All I remember was waking up to people shouting for help, as I was in a deep daze and confusion. I didn’t know where I was, how I got there, or what happened. 

‘Luckily I came out of it with only a small gash on my nose. Truly a blessing as I am a firm believer I had angels watching over me. ‘

Giannikopoulos urged his followers to take the pandemic seriously.

He ended his lengthy post on an upbeat note, saying: ‘Although my symptoms are evident, I am going to fight this and win.

‘I understand so many lives have been impacted and my heart goes out to every single person affected. It’s okay to be nervous, anxious, and feeling uncertain, but just remember we are all in it together.’  

The real estate adviser was one of four new suitors to join The Bachelorette after Adams took over from Clare Crawley, who fell in love with contestant Dale Moss and left the show mid-season. 

The dating show was filmed at a resort in Palm Springs, California, with COVID-19 protocols in place for cast and crew.