Chuckle Brothers star Paul Chuckle has revealed he has been suffering from coronavirus. The 72-year-old described his symptoms as "mild" but confessed they were "not nice," urging the public to stay indoors in a bid to combat the widespread virus. Taking to his Twitter page on Monday, the comedian - whose real name is Paul Elliott - told his followers: "Hi guys, just checking in to let you know I'm still around. I have been laid up with COVID-19 for a good few days, just mild, but it was there and it's not nice, I promise you, so please, please stay inside."
WATCH: Chuckle Brothers star Paul reveals he has coronavirus
"We're all going stir-crazy, we know that," he added. "But please stay inside and take the pressure off the NHS, Marie Curie, etc, etc. Please, please, stay in guys and enjoy as best you can." Upon hearing the news, Paddy McGuinness was quick to reply and said: "Stay well pal. Good to see you." British actor Will Mellor remarked: "Glad [you're] getting better mate!! Take care."
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Paul later revealed that his wife Sue was worried about him one night that she checked he was still breathing at 2am. Replying to a fan's tweet, he said: "Sue nearly scared me to death hovering over me at 2am in the dark APPARENTLY checking I was still breathing because she was so worried but today I don't feel quite so bad. Hope you are well."
© Photo: Getty ImagesPaul Chuckle with his late brother Barry (left)
The news comes almost two years after Paul mourned the loss of his brother, and fellow comedy partner Barry Elliot. His older brother sadly passed away from bone cancer in August 2019, and was laid to rest in a service at New York Stadium in Rotherham. At the time, Paul tweeted: "I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone for all your messages, they've been hard to read but I read every one. It's the worst feeling ever but I have to carry on as I know Barry would want me to having always been so supportive of each other in both work and our personal lives."
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Meanwhile, Paul Chuckle supporting Marie Curie's emergency appeal. "Marie Curie urgently need donations to keep their Nurses and Hospice staff on the frontline," he said in a statement. "As someone who has witnessed their incredible work, I'd urge the public to get behind their emergency appeal. They are reliant on donations from the public to survive, and just as they are gearing up to care for even more people, their fundraising income has been seriously compromised.
"My brother Barry would have hated to die in a hospital, but he was lucky to have Marie Curie care at home. Now more than ever, dying people who do not want to be in hospital need to be moved to a more appropriate setting, to free up precious hospital beds that are urgently required for patients with Coronavirus. Marie Curie can only help if they continue to raise the money needed to fund its vital work."
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