Idris Elba’s wife Sabrina Dhowre has revealed that the actor was sure ‘it was the end’ after he tested positive for coronavirus.
The Luther star revealed he had contracted the illness back in March, which his wife later caught.
Sabrina has now opened up on their experience with the virus and how they overcame it in an interview with Grazia UK, admitting it felt ‘really scary’.
‘At the time that we got sick, the media was pushing hard on how dangerous it was,’ she told the publication. ‘At one point, Idris really thought that this could be the end.
‘He has asthma. He is older. It was really scary.’
She continued: ‘That kind of unsureness about what’s coming next leaves you with a bit of anxiety. But having been sick and being okay also now gives you this new lease of life: I want to be super appreciative of everything.’
The model also spoke about racism in the UK, which she believes is more ‘subtle’ compared to in the US.
‘You see the aftermath of all of the systematic racial issues that are in place, through the gentrification of certain areas, on when you’re the only person of colour in a restaurant,’ she explained.
‘But I’m a black woman: I have never been to a country outside the African continent where I don’t feel out of place.
‘I’ve never personally experienced an outburst of racial prejudice in London, but I’ve seen it, and you know it exists.’
It comes after her husband Idris said that learning to deal with coronavirus had a ‘traumatic’ effect on him psychologically.
Speaking to Radio Times, he revealed: ‘I felt very compelled to speak about it, just because it was such an unknown. So the mental impact of that on both myself and my wife was pretty, ah, traumatic.
‘I needed the lockdown to try to get over it.
‘And it turns out the world actually probably needed the lockdown, too.’
Got A Story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.