Mark Wright has said his “first hand” experience of seeing his father struggle with coronavirus has brought home the seriousness of the pandemic.
The former The Only Way Is Essex star told ITV’s Lorraine his father has been “struggling to breathe” in hospital after contracting the virus.
He has previously revealed both his parents caught Covid-19.
Wright, 34, who is married to actor Michelle Keegan, told the programme the pandemic had been “tough” for everyone, adding: “But when it hits you personally and it hits your family personally, that’s when it goes up to a whole new level and, you know, it’s when it becomes really real.
“You see the news, you see the numbers, it is so real anyway.
“But when you see it first hand, your own family struggling and your strong dad lying in a hospital bed having to be assisted with oxygen and telling you how hard it is and how much pain they are in, that’s when it really hits home and makes you think this is serious and we need to listen and we need to believe what we are being told because it is real.”
Wright also paid tribute to former The Only Way Is Essex star Mick Norcross, whose death was announced on Thursday.
He said he was not “very close” to the 57-year-old, but added: “I just want to send my condolences and my love to the family and [his son] Kirk must be just broken-hearted, but what I did know of Mick, he was such a gentleman, such a nice guy.”
Earlier this month Wright made his debut for Crawley Town during their 3-0 victory against Leeds United in the FA Cup.
He is currently in self-isolation following a coronavirus outbreak at the football club.
