Celebrity MasterChef star Amar Latif has recalled the difficulties of dealing with coronavirus while blind.
The 45-year-old entrepreneur appeared on The One Show ahead of his appearance on the cooking series, and discussed how he had been coping after catching Covid-19.
Amar, who is 95% blind, was hospitalised as the life-threatening illness took hold, and spoke about what he went through as he struggled in a new environment.
Speaking on The One Show, he said: ‘I was ill for a week, and then I got transported to hospital, so I was really excited because I’ve never been in an ambulance before, so while I was like fighting for my breath I was like, Oh, this is exciting.
‘Then yes I got to the hospital, and then, after a few days when they found that I was [Covid] positive and they stuck me in the Covid ward.
Visit our live blog for the latest updates: Coronavirus news live
‘Being blind, I didn’t know what was going on like there was loads of noise and nurses everywhere and it was hard to make like eye contact, and because I couldn’t really breathe it was quite scary.’
Thankfully, he was able to make a full recovery, and he made a point to praise the NHS staff that saved his life and made him as comfortable as possible.
‘I just want to say a huge thank you to the nurses they were just so so incredible and the doctors were amazing,’ Amar declared, revealing that he later helped staff better understand the blind experience.
He added: ‘They’d never dealt with someone blind before and were, you know, “how can we be of help?” and I gave them a link to my YouTube link.
‘They circulated it throughout the entire hospital which is brilliant. Thank you NHS, I love you.’
The One Show airs weekdays from 7pm on BBC One.
Got A Story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace reveals ‘it’s never too late’ as he shares weight loss journey