Jeremy Vine, 55, reveals he battled COVID-19 over the Christmas holiday - Money

Jeremy Vine has revealed that he battled novel coronavirus over the festive holiday, forcing him to spend Christmas Day isolated from his own family.

The 55-year-old TV personality appeared on his eponymous show on Monday morning, and shared that his Christmas was a ‘weird one’, after he started to experience symptoms on December 22nd.

He said: ‘I felt a bit ill on December the 22nd and then on the 23rd this was me,’ before sharing a video of himself coughing looking slightly worse for wear.

Jeremy Vine has revealed that he battled novel coronavirus over the festive holiday, forcing him to spend Christmas Day isolated from his own family

Meanwhile, fellow TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson also revealed that he battled COVID-19 over Christmas and feared that he would ‘die on my own’ from it.

The presenter, 60, wrote about his health scare in his latest article for The Sunday Times, sharing that he began to feel unwell four days before Christmas.

Clarkson said that after Googling his symptoms, he eventually got tested for coronavirus where it came back positive.

‘It was scary!’ Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that he battled COVID-19 over Christmas and feared that he would ‘die on my own’ from it (pictured in July during a Covid testing)

‘The doctor was very clear,’ the presenter recalled in his column. ‘I’d feel under the weather for between five and 14 days and then I’d either get better or I’d have to go to hospital.

‘Where, because I am 60 and fat, and because I’ve smoked half a million cigarettes and had double pneumonia, I’d probably die, on my own, in a lonely plastic tent.’

Detailing what happened, Clarkson explained he woke up drenched in sweat, suffered a persistent dry cough and went into isolation.

After batting off questions from friends about who could have given him the virus, Clarkson explained that he took himself off to bed with ‘the new Don Winslow book and a bag of kale’ and waited ‘for the Grim Reaper to pop his head round the door’.

Staying safe: The presenter, 60, wrote about his health scare in his latest article for The Times , sharing that he began to feel unwell four days before Christmas (Clarkson is pictured in September 2020, filming The Grand Tour in Scotland, wearing a face mask)

Tested: Clarkson posted a snap of a negative COVID-19 test on Instagram two weeks ago before testing positive just days later

The Grand Tour host went on to explain that he was isolating in a small cottage with his girlfriend Lisa Hogan, 46, and her children, and felt unclear about who he was allowed to have any contact with, adding: ‘I’m not going to lie — it was quite scary!’

He went on: ‘With every illness I’ve had, there has always been a sense that medicine and time would eventually ride to the rescue, but with COVID-19 you have to lie there, on your own, knowing that medicine is not on its way and that time is your worst enemy.’

Jeremy’s children – Emily, Katya and Finlo, from his marriage to second wife Frances Cain – visited him on Christmas Day for 40 minutes and shared a glass of champagne with him at a distance in the garden while he wore a ‘full body mask’ (under Tier 2 rules).

Masked men: Jeremy is pictured with his The Grand Tour co-star Richard Hammond [R] and producer Andy Wilman [C] en route to a filming destination in October

Family: The TV host went on to explain that he was isolating in a small cottage with his girlfriend Lisa Hogan, 46, and her children, and felt unclear about who he was allowed to have any contact with [Jeremy and Lisa are pictured in February 2020]

He recalled that no-one knew how safe this actually was and added in the article that despite people claiming to know a ‘great deal about COVID, we don’t’, the presenter also admitted that he has ‘absolutely no idea’ if he is even ‘better now’.

Clarkson hinted he had suspected coronavirus two weeks ago, posting a snap of a COVID antigen test to Instagram. Yet the result was negative, with a single line showing, and he celebrated by captioning it with: ‘Let’s rock.’

Medakit’s COVID-19 Antigen test used by Jeremy can detect an active coronavirus infection within 15 minutes

He was seen over the Autumn filming new episodes of his Amazon Prime motoring show The Grand Tour, but the crew were sticking to strict safety measures.

Worried: Clarkson penned: ‘I am 60 and fat, and because I’ve smoked half a million cigarettes and had double pneumonia, I’d probably die, on my own, in a lonely plastic tent.’ (pictured in 2019)

Forking nightmare: Clarkson suffered a cutlery blunder as he attempted to eat a fry-up while taking coronavirus precautions in October, branding it ‘COVID cutlery’

Forkward: The presenter was filmed attempting to cut into a piece of bacon as he enjoyed a fry-up with co-host James May during a break from filming The Grand Tour in Scotland

He was snapped on location in Scotland in September, social distancing and wearing a face mask. He also took a selfie on a plane with his co-star Richard Hammond and producer Andy Wilman in October, all wearing masks.

That same month, he was seen struggling to eat a fry-up with co-host James May during a break from filming, using disposable cutlery.

He branded an Instagram clip ‘COVID cutlery’, seen in the video having issues slicing up bacon.

HOW LONG ARE COVID-19 PATIENTS CONTAGIOUS AND WHAT MAKES THEM INFECTIOUS?

By Natalie Rahhal, US Health Editor

It may take anywhere from three to 14 days after someone is exposed to coronavirus for symptoms to show up.

The average person will develop symptoms within four to five days.

It’s now clear that a person can spread coronavirus before they actually show any signs of having the illness.

Most research now suggests that can start happening between 48 and 72 hours before their symptoms begin.

A COVID-19 patient becomes infectious to others once the virus has made enough copies to give them a higher viral load, meaning there is a sufficiently significant concentration of virus genome in their mucus and saliva to potentially spread it.

When an infected person coughs or sneezes, they spray droplets into the air, and these droplets can be be inhaled by others.

Pinning down exactly how early someone becomes contagious, when they are at their peak infectiousness, and when they are no longer contagious is extremely difficult.

Many studies suggest that people most infectious right around the time their symptoms start. A handful have found people were actually most infectious in the 48 hours before they become contagious, according to Harvard University.

That early infectious period is part of why coronavirus is so hard to control: People cna spread the disease before they know they have it.

And the infectious period lasts a long time. Most scientists think that viral shedding continues for about 10 days after symptoms start in mild to moderate cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But some more severely ill people stay infectious for up to 20 days.

Large virus-containing droplets expelled when coronavirus patients cough or sneeze are still thought to be the primary mode of transmission.

That means that being symptomatic makes someone more likely to spread the disease.

CDC officials have now confirmed the virus can spread in fine particles, too, acknowledging how it is transmitted even by people with no symptoms.

Clarkson’s revelation comes after comedian John Bishop, 54, revealed that he has been battling coronavirus with his wife Melanie.

Earlier this week, the star assured fans he is ‘getting a little stronger’ amid his COVID-19 battle and vowed to return to work next month.

Bishop also took to social media on Wednesday to share a picture of the NHS notification informing him he had tested positive for the virus, describing the infection as ‘the worst illness I have ever had’.

The following day, on New Year’s Eve, John, whose wife Melanie is also battling the virus, took to Twitter to thank fans for their ‘overwhelming’ support and confirm: ‘Every day we are getting a little stronger’.

In his update message, a touched John penned: ‘Thank you for all the messages of support regarding my recent positive Covid test…

‘I have been overwhelmed and moved by the amount of messages privately and publicly. Every day we are getting a little stronger and I will be back at work in Jan. Keep safe and Happy New Year John x’.

The previous day, he announced he is battling coronavirus after testing positive alongside Melanie over the Christmas period.

With the screenshot from the NHS, he penned: ‘This came through on Christmas Day. This is the worst illness I have ever had, debilitating headaches, muscle joint and even skin pain, dizziness, nausea, no appetite, incredibly chronic fatigue’.

John, who revealed last year that he has shadows on his lungs, added that both he and Melanie are not considered to be vulnerable, concluding: ‘My wife and I are fit non smokers and it’s flattened us. I don’t wish this on anyone’.

Pained: Clarkson’s revelation comes after comedian John Bishop, 54, revealed that he has been battling coronavirus with his wife Melanie (the couple pictured last year)

Reaching out: Earlier this week, the star assured fans he is ‘getting a little stronger’ amid his COVID-19 battle and vowed to return to work next month

Shocking: Bishop also took to social media on Wednesday to share a picture of the NHS notification informing him he had tested positive for the virus, describing the infection as ‘the worst illness I have ever had’