Linda Lusardi broke down in tears on today’s Good Morning Britain as she recalled her time in hospital battling coronavirus.
The 61-year-old explained to hosts Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan that she believed she was going to die after a frank conversation with a doctor while she was on the ward.
Wiping away tears, she explained: “The second night I was [in hospital], I tested negative first of all, a doctor came in and was washing his hands and I said ‘are you getting me through this?’ and he was like ‘I’ll be honest with you, I can’t promise you, you’re 61 and we don’t know what we’re dealing with’.
“I thought, I’ve had it. My oxygen levels were less than 30 per cent.”
It was reassurance from her husband Sam Kane, who also suffered from coronavirus, that Lusardi said helped her battle through the deadly disease.
“He told me to keep fighting and that our children can’t grow up without their mum,” she said. “That gave me some strength.
“It was absolutely horrendous. I thank God I’m one of the lucky ones that got through it.”
Lusardi previously opened up about the severity of her symptoms, spending 10 days in hospital suffering from fever, chronic chest pains and vomiting.
She told The Sun: “It got to the stage where both of us were praying we wouldn’t wake up because it was so bad.
“Please take care of yourselves, loved ones and each other.”
Celebrities reacting to coronavirus – In pictures
1/20
Demi Moore and Bruce Willis in matching pajamas with their daughter and her boyfriend
Instagram / @buuski
2/20
Brooklyn Beckham in quarantine with his girlfriend Nicola Peltz
3/20
Matthew McConaughey played virtual bingo with seniors
The Enclave at Round Rock Senior Living/Facebook
4/20
Kristin Cavallari is stranded in the Bahamas with her husband and her hairstylist
Instagram / @justinanderson
5/20
Kim Kardashian on a flight wearing a face mask and gloves
@kimkardashian
6/20
Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight
@naomi
7/20
Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a facemask during a plane ride
@gwynethpaltrow
8/20
Bella Hadid wearing a face mask on a plane
@bellahadid
9/20
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas
@sophiet
10/20
Sebastian Stan being overly prepared on a plane
@sebastianstan
11/20
Marjorie & Steve Harvey wearing face masks on a plane
@MarjorieHarvey
12/20
Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight
@naomi
13/20
Jade Thirlwell
@jadethirlwell
14/20
Nicole Scherzinger with Thom Evans
@nicolescherzinger
15/20
The actor announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for coronavirus
@idriselba
16/20
Prince Harry and Craig David greet each other with an elbow bump
BBC
17/20
Charlotte Crosby and friends being very prepared
@charlottegshore
18/20
Robbie Williams greets fans with elbow bumps
Getty Images
19/20
Prince Charles and Ant and Dec use Namaste to greet each other
Getty Images
20/20
Pierce Brosnan greets Prince Charles with Namaste
PA
1/20
Demi Moore and Bruce Willis in matching pajamas with their daughter and her boyfriend
Instagram / @buuski
2/20
Brooklyn Beckham in quarantine with his girlfriend Nicola Peltz
3/20
Matthew McConaughey played virtual bingo with seniors
The Enclave at Round Rock Senior Living/Facebook
4/20
Kristin Cavallari is stranded in the Bahamas with her husband and her hairstylist
Instagram / @justinanderson
5/20
Kim Kardashian on a flight wearing a face mask and gloves
@kimkardashian
6/20
Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight
@naomi
7/20
Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a facemask during a plane ride
@gwynethpaltrow
8/20
Bella Hadid wearing a face mask on a plane
@bellahadid
9/20
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas
@sophiet
10/20
Sebastian Stan being overly prepared on a plane
@sebastianstan
11/20
Marjorie & Steve Harvey wearing face masks on a plane
@MarjorieHarvey
12/20
Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight
@naomi
13/20
Jade Thirlwell
@jadethirlwell
14/20
Nicole Scherzinger with Thom Evans
@nicolescherzinger
15/20
The actor announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for coronavirus
@idriselba
16/20
Prince Harry and Craig David greet each other with an elbow bump
BBC
17/20
Charlotte Crosby and friends being very prepared
@charlottegshore
18/20
Robbie Williams greets fans with elbow bumps
Getty Images
19/20
Prince Charles and Ant and Dec use Namaste to greet each other
Getty Images
20/20
Pierce Brosnan greets Prince Charles with Namaste
PA
Lusardi is just one of many celebrities diagnosed with coronavirus – Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson came down with Covid-19 while out in Australia, and have since returned to America to recover at home.
Elsewhere, Rob Rinder also tested positive for coronavirus, writing in his Evening Standard column: “It started two weeks ago when I woke up with a temperature, which I never get.
“This was followed by a dry hacking cough, night sweats and — by day six — my lungs felt like they were being squeezed in a vice. I forced myself out of bed to eat and then collapsed into delirium on the sofa, trying to avoid the catastrophic news by watching endless reality television.
“I am on the road to recovery but still feel ropey.”
Good Morning Britain continues weekdays from 6am on ITV.