Rita Wilson says having COVID-19 at same time as Tom Hanks made it easier

Veteran singer-actor Rita Wilson has said that it was easier for her to cope with the coronavirus as she was accompanied by her husband, Hollywood star Tom Hanks.

The couple were among the first Hollywood celebrities to be tested positive for COVID-19, which has claimed over 150,000 lives globally.

Hanks and Wilson were in Australia when they were diagnosed with the coronavirus. They have now recovered from it.

Talking with The Guardian, Wilson, 63, said the ordeal was a lot easier since they both had symptoms at the same time.

"I think that having the virus at the same time made it that little bit easier. We were taking care of each other instead of having the pressure of taking care of one person and no one taking care of you or understanding that the person at home needs a break.

"We were fortunate we were in a place where we understood what the other was going through," she said.

However, Wilson, who previously battled breast cancer, said suffering from the COVID-19 was extremely difficult.

"We both had a high fever and were extremely achey. I lost my sense of taste and smell, had stomach issues and shivering like you wouldn't believe. Yeah, I was scared.

"Extreme nausea, vertigo, my muscles felt like wet noodles, so I couldn't really stand. We were just trying to get through it," she added.

Wilson said that Hanks, 63, presented milder symptoms than she had.

"He did not have as high a fever. He did not lose his sense of taste or smell. But it still took us the same amount of time to get through it," she added.

In a separate interview with The National Defense Radio Show, Hanks agreed that Wilson had a much tougher time than he did.

"Rita had a much tougher time than I did. She had a much higher fever. She had lost her sense of taste and sense of smell. I had some bad body aches and fatigue," he said.

Hanks recalled when he was locked down in a hospital with Wilson, he baffled a doctor by trying to do an exercise that left him "wiped" after just ten minutes.

"She looked at me through her glasses like she was talking to the dumbest human being, and she said, (sternly) 'You have COVID-19'," the actor said.

Image credit: AP