Virus left me unable to walk, says TV’s Kirsty
KIRSTY Gallacher has revealed she fought a month-long battle with coronavirus that left her ‘struggling to do anything’.
The TV presenter suffered ‘horrific’ sickness and could not walk after becoming infected with Covid-19.
The illness struck in early April and being in lockdown made the 44-year-old feel even more anxious, she said.
The Edinburgh-born former Sky Sports host and model has been spending lockdown at her new
£1.4 million home in rural Berkshire.
She has had the company of sons Oscar, 13 and Jude, ten, for only part of the time because she shares custody with their father, rugby star Paul Sampson, with whom she split in 2014.
The star, who now hosts a variety of sporting events, including Soccer Aid, said: ‘I actually had coronavirus quite badly. I didn’t feel normal for about a month. I was very unwell.
‘I had the whole lot – it was awful. I had the breathing thing which I thought was anxiety because of the lockdown situation. I was full-on working the week before lockdown and at the time I didn’t know I had it.’
She added: ‘I was on my own and that was when I felt the loneliness and was really unwell. I was not sure of what was going on and I had major anxiety.
‘I had real trouble breathing. I didn’t go to hospital or anything. I controlled it. Coronavirus is a very strange virus.
‘Every day I had something different and new. The cough actually came last for me, which was weird. The shortness of breath, I struggled just doing anything. Having a walk was almost impossible. It was dreadful and the sickness was horrific. I’m trying to get back to normal and it’s really hard.’
Ms Gallacher, whose father is the former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher, had been in Edinburgh before lockdown for a promotion with former Scotland rugby captain Gavin Hastings.
The presenter, who usually packs in three personal training sessions a week plus running and swimming, added: ‘One thing about lockdown I’ve been loving is having no make-up. I was on Good Morning Britain and had to put on some and almost forgot how to do it. I’ve been loving not having to do it. On TV you end up wearing so much... it’s trowelled on.’