My son has a cough so we’re on day four of quarantine — and already I miss the heady buzz of London life

my 25 years here every second has been packed. I’d go out every night if I could, pulling more friends into my orbit because London encourages you to do so. It’s a constant swirl of people, action and imagination. I don’t mind admitting I’m an addict. I travel to remind myself I live in the best city in the world.

As a teenager, I employed elaborate deceptions to get to London. I’d lace myself into punk mini dresses to sneak into nightclubs, for illicit kisses. Not much has changed. Often Friday night sees me heading out the door, to seek out dancefloors, dinners and 5am dawns with friends. I love the spark of heading into a crowd of strangers — London always has something going on.

Never mind the heady tingle you feel as you walk into a packed bar or restaurant and drink in the buzz of a Thursday night. Now, so many of those local hotspots are fighting for their lives. My husband co-owns two much-loved restaurants, Kitty Fishers and Cora Pearl, and the shockwaves and distress of Monday’s advised restrictions cannot be underestimated in this vast community, which provides so many jobs.

Our streets are clearing, our anxiety keeps spiking. We meet in virtual pubs, while the real ones pull the shutters down. But the news from China that there are no new cases is heartening… We will emerge, bruised, with many needing our help, and more grateful for what we have. This incredible city will throb noisily once again.

Many restaurants, including my husband’s, are fighting for their lives, feeling shockwaves and distress