'I felt guilty': Richard Wilkins breaks down during emotional interview
Richard Wilkins broke down during an interview with 60 Minutes as he spoke about the worry he felt after testing positive for coronavirus and not knowing whether or not he had passed it on to any of his loved ones.
He tested positive after an interview with Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who were some of the first celebrities to catch the virus.
Speaking to journalist Liz Hayes, Richard said, "I felt guilty, I felt ashamed, I felt scared, because it was early days."
The TV presenter revealed that testing positive for the virus had him imagining "a worst case scenario, where everyone you've come in contact has got it".
"I felt responsible to my family, and the ripple effect kicked in. All the people I had to remember that I'd come into contact with."
What hurt him the most, was the potential of crushing his son Christian Wilkins' Dancing with the Stars dreams.
"Christian was dancing on Dancing with the Stars and I was so proud of him. And the thought that I was going to have to call him and tell him that his dad was crook and that he couldn't come home and that he may have it.
"I was trying to get through to him and his phone was all jammed up and then he called me and he was so angry at me, because he was saying, 'Why couldn't you tell me before some publicist had to tell me?'" he said, while tearing up.
"I said, 'Darling, I'm sorry, I've been trying to call you,' and I thought 'Oh God', we cried for a while and decided we'd figure it out and we'd all be OK, but in my heart I didn't know that it was going to be OK."
Thankfully, Christian didn't test positive and was able to make it to the finale episode of Dancing with the Stars.
Richard was asymptomatic and tested positive three times before finally being told by NSW Health he was free of the virus.
He was forced to self-isolate for 18 days and he announced he had finally tested negative for the virus by sharing an Instagram video of himself throwing out an empty Corona beer box.
"Coronavirus you’re outta here! I’ve been cleared to return to work by the incredible team at NSW Health. #NEGATIVE!! Thanks all," he wrote.
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