Idris Elba tells Oprah Winfrey when his coronavirus diagnosis 'got real'

Idris Elba was one of the first celebrities to come forward after testing positive for COVID-19. The actor has been in New Mexico shooting the upcoming Netflix film The Harder They Fall and was tested after learning he had come into contact with someone who had tested positive. Now Elba is speaking to Oprah Winfrey about his experience dealing with COVID-19, including the moment things ‘got real.’Elba first announced his diagnosis on March 16, sharing the news on Twitter and encouraging people to stay home and social distance as much as possible. “I feel ok, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus,” tweeted Elba, uploading a video of himself with wife Sabrina Dhowre, who at that point had not been tested. “Stay home people and be pragmatic.”

This morning I tested positive for Covid 19. I feel ok, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus. Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I’m doing No panic. pic.twitter.com/Lg7HVMZglZ

— Idris Elba (@idriselba) March 16, 2020

Elba’s wife Dhowre has now tested positive as well for COVID-19. The pair are continuing to self-isolate in New Mexico and spoke to Oprah through video chat. Elba, who is asymptomatic and continues to not feel any symptoms of COVID-19, told Winfrey that before his diagnosis, the pandemic felt removed from the actor. "It didn't really feel relatable. There were a bunch of theories going around. It's a conspiracy! Is it even real? When I got tested and it came back positive, it became very real,” said Elba. “It was always real for me but it became very real. And I felt compelled to tell people that this is very real."Elba has previously said during a Twitter live chat that actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson inspired him to step forward with his own diagnosis in an effort to educate people about the dangers of COVID-19, especially since he has never shown symptoms and could have continued infecting others. “I could be in the public. I could be at home amongst my family. I could be still be spreading it and I have no symptoms," Elba told Winfrey. "The doctor explained to me that possibly I had symptoms and didn't realize it. When I met him, I had some headaches, a little bit of an achy body. I put that down to A, being in a higher altitude and B, travelling a lot. I just finished another job five or ten days prior and was moving on to this job. I didn't have much of a break in between and typically, one gets run down, gets tired and those were the symptoms of that. But I had no real symptoms as it pertains to COVID."Elba also revealed that he was one of the few people to get tested on the film set and that there is a shortage of tests available. “Had I not been on the film set I think I would have not gotten a test as easy as I did. I feel very fortunate in hindsight now because I certainly quarantined myself from that day and haven’t been around other people.” Elba says that he’s unsure how long he’ll be quarantined, but he confirmed that at some point he’ll be retested.Elba and Winfrey’s conversation is part of Winfrey’s new Apple series Oprah Talks: COVID-19. Elba admitted that he had said no to other media requests for interviews but agreed to speak to Winfrey as a friend and because of her journalistic integrity.“Like millions of people all over the world, I've been staying safer at home for over a week now. I know a lot of people are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and uncertain,” wrote Winfrey, sharing a clip from the interview on Instagram. “Because of that, I wanted to offer some hope and gather thought leaders and people going through it to add some perspective. Which is why I FaceTimed Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina who are safely quarantined together after he tested positive for COVID-19. Idris fills me in on his journey and Sabrina reveals the result of her test after they decided to quarantine together.”

 

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Like millions of people all over the world, I've been staying safer at home for over a week now. I know a lot of people are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and uncertain. Because of that, I wanted to offer some hope and gather thought leaders and people going through it to add some perspective. Which is why I FaceTimed Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina who are safely quarantined together after he tested positive for COVID-19. Idris fills me in on his journey and Sabrina reveals the result of her test after they decided to quarantine together. Tap the link in my bio to watch our conversation for FREE on the Apple TV app (on your phone) or visit apple.co/oprahtalks

A post shared by Oprah (@oprah) on Mar 21, 2020 at 7:19pm PDT

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