Idris Elba admits he thought his life was 'over' after testing positive to coronavirus

Idris Elba has taken to Twitter to give fans an update on his health since being diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The British actor tested positive to COVID-19 on Monday and has since been in isolation with his wife, Sabrina Dhowre. And although the Avengers star has accepted his diagnosis, he said that wasn't initially the case.  

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"Talking to you guys has kept us a little bit more positive, a little bit more optimistic. At one point, we were sort of like, 'Our lives are over. This is it. This is how we kick it'," he admitted during the Twitter livestream.

"But at the same time realising that the more we look at coronavirus and realise that it is a virus like many others that the human race survived... nobody knows too much about this virus.

"So, we felt a lot more optimistic that more people were talking about it and what their experiences [were]. And now we definitely want to be vocal and transparent."

And Elba said that he has Tom Hanks to thank for motivating him to be more open about his health battle. Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, both tested positive to the virus last week and are currently in self-isolation in Australia. 

"I'm really proud of Tom Hanks who is also someone in the public eye who came out and said they have it and has been public about it," said Elba. "I was really motivated by Tom's move there.

"But also I think, there's some transparency given to the situation when someone like Tom or myself is in this situation," he added. "I'm worried that people aren't talking to each other about it, I'm worried that people are going to stigmatise other people, I'm worried that we're gonna panic and send the whole world into a spin."

It was on March 16 that Idris Elba first revealed he was diagnosed with the coronavirus, announcing the news to shocked fans on Twitter.

"This morning I tested positive for COVID-19. I feel OK, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus. Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I'm doing. No panic," he wrote.