Tom Hanks coronavirus: Actor Hanks and wife Rita Wilson test positive

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, test positive for coronavirus

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks has revealed that he and wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the new coronavirus in Australia.

Hanks and Wilson, both 63, sought medical advice after experiencing the symptoms of a cold in Queensland, the actor wrote on Instagram.

They will now spend time in isolation, he added.

The US couple were on the Gold Coast as Hanks worked on Baz Luhrmann’s new film about the life of Elvis Presley.

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On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the outbreak to be a pandemic.

Hanks wrote on Instagram: “We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too.

“To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive”.

The Academy Award winner, whose films include Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan, said he and Wilson would keep the world “posted and updated”.

“We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?”

In 2013, the actor revealed he had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the more common form. Diabetes UK says people with the condition may experience more severe symptoms of coronavirus, and has issued advice on how to take precautions.

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In a video message posted on social media, the couple’s eldest son Chet said: “I just got off the phone with them, they both are fine, they’re not even that sick.

“They’re not worried about it, they’re not tripping, but they’re going through the necessary health precautions, obviously.”

Colin, Hanks’ son from his first marriage, said the couple were “receiving excellent care” and were “in good spirits given the circumstances”.

He added that he had been “in constant contact with them and am confident that they will make a full recovery”.

Work on the star’s latest, untitled movie has been temporarily suspended.