Karl Stefanovic reveals family COVID-19 diagnosis

Karl Stefanovic has revealed the fear and concern he had when his daughter's Ava and 18-month-old Harper came down with COVID-19 over the Christmas break.

The Today host told Ally Langdon the girls came down with the virus first, then he and his wife Jasmine fell ill shortly after.

"We were most worried about little Harper," Karl said this morning.

READ MORE: Karl and Ally dance their way back into Today in 2022

"She is only 18 months old and also my daughter Ava - they had it in a quite severe way initially but then they got over it really quickly, and then Jaz and I both got it and I was much worse."

Karl said while he was down for three or four days, it is the psychological impact that hits you the hardest.

"It started out and it feels like a bad cold, and it starts in the throat, then it goes to the lungs," he said.

"I'm clear now, but the residual effects of it are there.

"It keeps on going on and on - dealing with it psychologically is the hardest thing I reckon."

Earlier in the show, the Today host said while some have reported only suffering mild symptoms, it became "pretty intense in parts" for he and his loved ones.

Karl returned on air this morning with his co-host Ally Langdon and fellow Today team, Alex Cullen, Brooke Boney and Tim Davies.

The team opened this morning's show with Ally telling Karl it was really nice to see him but she couldn't help but notice how croaky his voice was.

"I am a little croaky. The last couple of weeks, going back to January 3 or 4, the whole family tested positive," he said.

"It was a bit awful to tell you the truth at times, but we're all clear now.

"We got through the whole thing, and look, they say it's mild, but it's pretty intense in parts.

Karl said he was given the all clear thanks to rapid antigen tests and he was happy to be back on air.

"We're all clear and thankfully for you I'm back!" he assured viewers and his smiling co-hosts.

Watch what Karl had to say about his symptoms above

Join the Today show family and give yourself the chance to win great prizes by signing up to our weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday with a special message from Karl and Ally. You can sign up for free here.