Loose Women legend Gloria Hunniford is in precautionary self-isolation at home.
The presenter is staying out of TV studios for the foreseeable future in accordance with government guidelines to halt the spread of the potentially deadly bug.
Gloria, 79, appeared on the ITV daytime show this week via video link to explain her decision.
She told fellow panelists Janet Street-Porter, Andrea McLean, Brenda Edwards and Denise Welch that she had decided to follow the official advice as the pandemic rages, and listen to the concerns of her family.
Due to the iconic media personality’s age, relatives are concerned for her safety.
Speaking on Loose Women, which is being filmed without a studio audience, she said: “I’m feeling absolutely fine but things changed for me last Sunday when more and more information came out.
“You know me and my work ethic, I would crawl to the studio, to my work, if I could. So up until then I was carrying on as normal.
“Then when everything happened I realised my grandsons who are in their 20s are working from home, my sons are working from home.
“They had to put a bit of pressure on and say, ‘Look, Steven had a very bad medical year last year. He’s still in recovery so we have to be very careful’.
“I am pre-diabetic so when I listened to to all the research and everything coming out, I thought I have to take action.”
Gloria’s co-star Janet Street-Porter has refused to go into self-isolation, despite being in the “high risk” category, which includes people over the age of 65, people with underlying health conditions and women who are pregnant.
She said: “Can I just say how upset I was at the weekend. I am Sunday morning heard on radio a government minister talking about locking up 70 year olds for three months.
“And now they’re talking about underlying health issues and it hasn’t become house arrest yet. It’s house arrest for me.”
Gloria’s revelation comes after it was announced earlier this evening that stars aged 70 and over will be written out of Coronation Street amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Bosses have confirmed five cast members who are considered to be in the at-risk category will be given the opportunity to stay home in accordance with government guidelines.
It means William Roache (Ken Barlow), Malcolm Hebden (Norris Cole), Sue Nicholls (Audrey Roberts) and Barbara Knox (Rita Tanner) will not be filming scenes due to being in the most vulnerable group when it comes to the deadly bug.
