Piers Morgan says the COVID-19 vaccine saved his life

Writing in the Mail On Sunday newspaper, Piers explained: "My phone bleeped at 7.14am. 'Your recent coronavirus test has come back positive.'

"So I am now officially one of the 5.52 million people in the UK known to have been infected by the virus, of whom 129,000 have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid.

"As I'm sure everyone who gets it feels, it's a strange, disquieting moment to know I have this killer virus inside me."

Piers also detailed his symptoms, writing: "Horrible night of high fever, cold sweats, ferocious coughing and sneezing and strange aches all over my body, none of which has been helped by the very hot weather that's turned my bedroom into a Saharan furnace.

"And my voice now sounds like Barry White, though I couldn't feel less like a Walrus of Love."

However, he admitted that what hit him the hardest was losing his ability to taste wine.

He said: "But when I sipped the 2005 Chateau Batailley, I couldn't smell or taste anything. In fact, it was like drinking slightly rusty water. I was shocked and bemused, as I've had no problems tasting food or drinks like tea or coffee so far.

"So, I tried another sip – but nothing, again. This, for anyone who knows my love of good wine, is one of my worst nightmares."

And Piers went on to praise the scientists who developed the vaccine.

He wrote: "This is definitely the roughest I've felt from any illness in my adult life. But, as I slowly come out the other side, coughing and spluttering, I'm still here – unlike so many millions around the world who've lost their lives to Covid in this pandemic.

"For that, I owe a heartfelt debt of thanks to the brilliant scientists up in Oxford who created the AstraZeneca vaccine with such astonishing speed. Perhaps, I may even owe them my life?"