We've seen several celebrities get diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past month, and go public with the ins and outs of fighting the virus. Actors like Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Daniel Dae Kim used social media to give fans periodic updates after they were diagnosed and during their recovery, but some celebrities, like pop star Pink, have stayed a bit more quiet about their personal battle with illness. It turns out that ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos has also been diagnosed, but he took time on Good Morning America today to lay out his symptoms.
George Stephanopoulos has been broadcasting from home for the past several weeks as he cared for his wife, actress and author Ali Wentworth, who tested positive weeks ago. While Wentworth was visibly ill as she fought the virus, though, Stephanopoulos has had symptoms so mild that he thought he would test negative, even after looking after his sick wife for so long. Here's what he told Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan on GMA this morning:
I feel fine, Robin. I actually feel great. As I was saying at the top of the broadcast, I think maybe not seeming like myself may have a little bit more to do with this setup here at my house than how I was feeling. But I’ve never had a fever, never had a cough, never had shortness of breath, or any of the classic symptoms you’ve been reading out. Like everyone else, I’ve gone back over the last couple of weeks to think about what it could have been, and there was one night several weeks ago where I went to bed early from lower back pain, and I actually thought it was from a hard workout that day, and it cleared up the next morning. Then several days after that, I had a diminished sense of smell, but that’s really been it for my symptoms over these last several weeks. I was taking the test fully expecting it would come back negative, but in fact it did come back positive.
Roberts mentioned at the start of the interview with George Stephanopoulos that viewers, as well as those at ABC and GMA, had been worried about him since learning of his wife's diagnosis, especially since there were moments where he didn't seem to be quite himself. But, Stephanopoulos admits that not only does he "actually feel great" and has mostly been asymptomatic, but that him not seeming like himself as he worked from home probably had more to do with him getting used to broadcasting in his, probably quite new and cobbled together, home studio.
Stephanopoulos also admitted that he had to really search his memory to see if he actually ever had any symptoms at all, finally realizing that his lower back pain from several weeks back, which led to a "diminished sense of smell" many days later, had been the only signs that he was ill. His reveal of his lack of symptoms then led to a larger discussion with ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton about why some people don't display symptoms and how many people could be sick and spreading the virus without even realizing it.
You can take a look at the full video, below:
Obviously, we've lost many people to the virus, including celebrities such as music legend John Prine and Oscar nominated singer-songwriter Adam Schlesinger. Luckily, though, it sounds like George Stephanopoulos will be able to recover without feeling the effects of his condition any more fully than he already has, and, his wife is on the mend as well. Hopefully, they can more fully explore and mingle in their own home before too much longer.
There are still plenty of things coming to the small screen to keep you occupied in the coming weeks, so be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest. You can check out our Netflix schedule and see what's new on Hulu right now, along with checking out every show that's been delayed or will be ending its season early, over here.
