Sir David Jason has disclosed that he experienced “really bad” COVID this summer, which led to the actor collapsing one night as he was getting out of bed.
The 82-year-old actor, who starred in Only Fools and Horses and Open All Hours, told BBC Breakfast that he was OK during the pandemic before dying of the virus in July.
I’ve got it bad, he declared. I collapsed and hit my head against the radiator because none of my muscles were contracting. I was unable to stand up due to weakness.
Sir David told Breakfast’s, Jon Kay:
“I crawled to the bed. I got up to use the restroom. The muscles weren’t working, so I tried to stand up using the bed to get where I needed to go and back into bed, but I couldn’t.
“I did everything to stand up so I could stroll about for about a quarter of an hour.”
His arms and legs wouldn’t work, so he said he tried to go to the door to summon his wife, but added: “Being a very clever and inventive guy, I thought, how would I get from here to the door?
If you watch David Attenborough, you will notice that walruses walk and crawl on land. I took that action.
But I had to utilize my intellect to accomplish that. So now that I’m lying face down on the ground, I’m dragging myself to the door with the help of my head because my arms and legs aren’t functioning.
“So, just as I was about to approach the door, it opened. It was my lovely wife, and she was able to assist me in returning to bed. However, later that day, I developed carpet burns all over my forehead and across the bridge of my nose.
Following his recovery, Sir David is writing a book on Christmas that includes tales from the production of the Only Fools and Horses holiday specials.
From the 1980s through the early 2000s, the sitcom was a highlight of the Christmas programs, with ratings peaking at over 24 million in 1996.
When asked by Kay if he regretted that there were less significant events that caused people to assemble in front of the TV, the actor responded, “Yes. Because that’s what used to happen back then, and I believe that helped to unite the nation, the country, and the viewing public.
“Today, communication is possible in a variety of ways. And I just believe that it was a loss for all of us since it served to unite us. We no longer do it since we have so many options now.
Even though Only Fools and Horses ended on Christmas Day 2003, it has remained such a British tradition that this June, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration included Del Boy’s famous yellow three-wheel automobile.
Sir David claimed that witnessing the beaten-up Trotters Independent Trading van in the parade made him chuckle.
“There is pomp, the large [royal] coach is coming down, and there are all the soldiers and horses. A comical Trotters van then appears when you search for it on The Mall. I didn’t believe it, so why was the Trotter’s van there, I reasoned.
“But it was because it was if you like, a part of the national identity, and it did make me laugh and make me grin. The Trotters’ van is there, with an arm extending out asking, “All right pal? “, among all of this great stuff that the Brits do so brilliantly, those soldiers with their breastplates all shined and their plumes.
“Yeah. I did just giggle at it. I was smitten.
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