Todd Chrisley is one of the latest celebrities to reveal that he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
On Wednesday, the Chrisley Knows Best star and his wife Julie Chrisley opened up about his battle with COVID-19 on their podcast, Chrisley Confessions.
“I have been battling corona for three weeks. I was in the hospital for four and a half days — fever between 100-103 — and it has been the sickest that I have ever been in the 52 years that I have been on this Earth,” he said.
Todd continued, “I have never seen our country at a standstill. … I’m not going anywhere. I’m not running the risk of getting any sicker than I’ve already been. Hopefully, I will get better every day. … I’m probably about 70 to 75 per cent of what I normally am.”
Julie had a message for people who are not following the safety requirements during this time and not taking the pandemic seriously.
“For the people out there who are not taking it seriously, that’s what we want you to take from today’s episode,” Julie said. “This is serious, this is something that we have been dealing with for the past few weeks. … I have never in 25 years seen him as sick as he’s been the past few weeks.”
Their daughter Savannah Chrisley also shared the news of her father’s diagnosis on Instagram.
“Dad was diagnosed with the coronavirus about 2.5 weeks ago … and I have never been so scared in my life,” she wrote. “When everything started with COVID-19 I was like a lot of u…my mindset was ‘Wash your hands, don’t touch people, and you’ll be OK…’ BUT BOY HAS THAT IRRESPONSIBLE MINDSET CHANGED! When dad started getting sick I immediately started worrying…he and I are the worriers of the bunch.”
“After a couple days mom and I talked him into going to urgent care…he went in and he was showing all symptoms of COVID-19 so they tested him,” she said, revealing that her dad “went into an urgent care just like the rest of u would” and didn’t receive special treatment for being a celebrity.
“After getting tested he went back home and stayed quarantined in his bedroom for 7 days and then his test came back..POSITIVE..when mom and I read that our hearts dropped,” Savannah wrote.
She continued, “Dads symptoms were worsening as days went on..finally at 3am on a Sunday he woke mom up saying he has to go to the ER..he couldn’t fight it any longer. When she got there they made her drop him off and leave because of all the strict guidelines. He stayed at Vanderbilt for 3 days and those were the hardest 3 days I think I’ve ever endured.”
“So I guess the point of me telling u all this is so that u take it seriously…STAY HOME! SOCIAL DISTANCE! And most importantly..LOVE HARDER THAN EVER! Life is so short. I also owe a HUGE THANK U to my friends @charlesgalanismd @drjacobunger for walking me through all the steps we needed to follow and continuously checking in on us. As well as the drs and nurses @ Vandy,” Savannah concluded her post.
Chrisley joins the list of celebrities that have tested positive for coronavirus including singer Pink, Idris Elba, Tom Hanks, Daniel Dae Kim and more.
He is best known for his show, Chrisley Knows Best, which follows the tight-knit, boisterous family living in Nashville. Much of the series emphasizes Todd’s obsessive yet comedic efforts to keep tabs on three of his kids, two of whom are in their 20s, and his mother.
The series has aired on USA for seven seasons and premiered a spinoff called Growing Up Chrisley, featuring his kids Chase and Savannah, who move to Los Angeles. He also briefly hosted a talk show, According to Chrisley, for the network.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
—With files from The Associated Press