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Today Show's Richard Wilkins' 'wake-up call' over his health at 67
Richard Wilkins has opened up about his health, one year on from his shock COVID-19 diagnosis.
While it’s still unclear how he contracted COVID-19, The Today Show star did meet with American singer and actress, Rita Wilson, when she appeared on the morning show in March last year. Rita and her husband, Hollywood star Tom Hanks, tested positive soon after.
Now, he’s spoken to the Daily Telegraph about looking after his health, revealing he has regular check-ups and takes care of himself through diet and exercise.
“When you're young, tall and bulletproof, you don't think that anything can take you down, but just this year I've been to three or four funerals for people my age, which is very sobering and a wake-up call if there ever was one,' he said.
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“Health is a bit like superannuation - the older you get, the more you think about it.”
Richard says he tries to drink as much water as possible throughout the day to “flush out the system” and says he tries to maintain his health by exercising more and drinking less alcohol.
He also visits a dermatologist once a year for a check-up.
It comes after Richard's battle with COVID-19 back in March 2020. As one of the first high profile people to contract the deadly COVID-19, Richard gave his fans daily updates on his Instagram account about his journey.
In April, the Channel Nine star reflected on spending 18 days in isolation, saying he’s still baffled he didn’t get any symptoms usually associated with the virus.
“I swear on my life, I’ve still not had a runny nose, a headache or a fever. And I’ve not had a Codral or a Nurofen. Not a thing,” he told The Australian.
The star joked that he now has “Corona for life” after his friends dropped off eight cases of the beer at his home during his recovery.
Richard Wilkins' battle with COVID-19
Richard’s coronavirus journey began on March 12 just after the news broke that Hollywood star Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, had tested positive.
The entertainment reporter had been at Rita’s Opera House show and met the couple backstage and he also caught up with her when she appeared on Today Extra on March 9th.
On March 15, Richard received the call to say he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Just a few days after Richard was given his positive diagnosis he said he was going through a ‘crisis in his life’ but wasn’t experiencing any symptoms and was optimistic that he was going to fight the deadly virus.
He said his only symptom, a small tickle in the back of his throat, disappeared that morning which he hoped was a sign of a turn in the tide.
Writing on his 9Now blog, Richard said he “felt like a guinea pig” after being tested five times over the course of his diagnosis but he knew it was “about keeping other people safe”.
On April 1st, Richard got the all-clear, with a hilarious Instagram video revealing Corona had left the building – literally.
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