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11 Jan 2026 20:42
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Idris Elba feels "very fortunate to be alive" after his COVID-19 battle

    The 'Luther' star was one of the first celebrities to reveal he was battling coronavirus and he feels lucky that his struggle with the virus was "mild" compared to others


    Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, he said: "The COVID was mild, compared with how others have gone. I’m very fortunate to be alive, and every day I’m thankful."

    Meanwhile, Idris previously admitted having coronavirus was "very sobering".

    The 'Mountain Between Us' actor said: "Facing my mortality, being diagnosed with Covid and not knowing what it was at the time - going through that was very sobering."

    The couple were subjected to "stupid" conspiracy theories that they were being paid to lie about the virus and Idris and Sabrina admitted it only made their recovery harder.

    He added: “The aftermath was really soul-destroying.

    "The last year has been a travesty. We feel very lucky we came out with our health and our beating hearts but there was a real recovery process that was difficult ...

    "I’m really lucky though because I had my partner with me who was there for every second."

    Idris feels "incredibly lucky" to have fully recovered from the virus after catching it in March last year.

    She said: "I don’t suffer any residual effects and during my time with COVID, I was asymptomatic. But I guess I feel incredibly lucky to have not gone down the worst route and thus it’s given me a slightly different perspective on life, a little bit more of a new lease on life.

    There are things that I’ve always wanted to do and haven’t done that I’m doing and want to do and pursuing. Personal things, small goals, things that I just put aside, things that I just said, ‘Oh, I’ll do that one day,’ but now I’m doing."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Jesy Nelson doesn't think she will ever "accept" her twins' devastating health condition 20:23

    Entertainment:
    The Simpsons has retired a fan-favourite character 19:53

    Entertainment:
    Bonnie Blue is planning a "bonkers" £100,000 stunt to mark the first anniversary of her infamous world sex record 19:23

    Cricket:
    Black Caps captain Michael Bracewell is trying to not look too far ahead as his side ramps up their T20 Cricket World Cup prep 18:57

    Entertainment:
    Mia Goth used to steal all her clothes 18:53

    Auckland:
    A car flipped on its roof in the Auckland suburb of Birkenhead this afternoon, in one of several accidents across the city 18:37

    Entertainment:
    Brigitte Bardot endured a secret battle with cancer prior to her death, according to her husband Bernard d'Ormale 18:23

    Environment:
    MetService has released stats showing weather extremes from the past 24 hours 18:07

    Entertainment:
    Hilary Duff's husband had launched a scathing attack on "self-obsessed" Ashley Tisdale 17:53

    Business:
    If you think you're paying too much for a cup of coffee, there's good news and bad 17:27


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