Rob Rinder revealed today he refused a coronavirus test because he didn’t want to “buy his way out” of the health crisis.
The TV judge faced a “grim” battle against the deadly virus over the past couple of weeks, but didn’t want to use his position in the public eye to get tested before it was available widely for NHS staff.
The 41-year-old star appeared on Good Morning Britain earlier today, where he spoke with Lorraine Kelly about his ordeal, and his grief over the loss of his grandad to the deadly bug.
Chatting with Lorraine via video link, Judge Rinder said: “I don’t make moral judgements about other people but I wasn’t tested because my position is that until all NHS and frontline staff have access to testing, I refuse to take one, to buy my way out.
“I think other people, frankly – unless you’re hospitalised – have a responsibility to think about that too.
“You need to be thinking about that privilege anyway.”
Judge Rinder also went on to describe his symptoms, but urged people to keep calm amid the health pandemic.
He said: “I had an appalling temperature which quickly evolved into a grim cough, and I was immersed in a lethargy that stays with you and a temperature which comes and goes. After seven or eight days you think you’re tuning a corner and then the crushing moment comes when you realise you’ve had a grim relapse. My case passed after 11 days.
“One important thing I want to add is that I am convinced a good deal of anxiety is informing how people feel. We need to remember there are tens of thousands of people recovering every day and NHS workers brilliantly. We need to talk about this disease responsibly so that people feel empowered but not terrorised. “
Judge Rinder also paid tribute to his beloved granddad, who died at the age of 92 at the weekend after contracting coronavirus.
He added: “My granddad died and that is the most painful thing in the world. I loved him very much and am privileged to be in my 40s and have a granddad as long as I was gifted him. There is no right time to lose someone, we are trying to celebrate the memory of who he was. This is a challenging time for everyone, but there is good news too which he saw and he was delighted with the response around him and fascinated with the work being done to find a cure.
“He came from a generation who were stoic against a backdrop of what we are experiencing. “
