Antonio Banderas reveals he has coronavirus on 60th birthday
The actor Antonio Banderas has confirmed on Twitter that he is suffering from coronavirus. In a message posted on 10 August, his 60th birthday, the actor said he was forced to celebrate in quarantine but reassured followers that his health was largely unaffected.
He wrote: “I would like to add that I am relatively OK, just a little more tired than usual and confident that I will recover as soon as possible following the medical indications, which I hope will allow me to overcome the infection that is affecting people around the planet.”
The actor added: “I will take advantage of this isolation to read, write and rest, and continue making plans to begin to give meaning to my newly released 60 years, to which I arrive loaded with desire and hope.
“Big hugs to everyone.”
It is not known where Banderas is currently based; the actor has a primary residence in Surrey, England, as well as homes in Spain and New York.
Born in Málaga, Banderas’s collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar made him a star in his native Spain; he then forged a considerable Hollywood career with films such as The Mask of Zorro, Philadelphia and Puss in Boots.
His most recent film with Almodóvar, Pain and Glory – a loosely autobiographical work in which he played a film director stricken with ennui – won much acclaim and an Oscar nomination for Banderas.
Other major film stars to be diagnosed with coronavirus include Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, as well as Idris Elba, Marianne Faithfull, Olga Kurylenko and Mel Gibson.
• This article was amended on 10 August 2020. An earlier version incorrectly stated that Banderas was born in Madrid.