Hugh Grant Shares His 'Embarrassing' COVID Symptoms

Hugh Grant reveals “embarrassing” COVID symptoms he experienced when sick with the virus earlier this year

Several celebrities have shared their experiences with COVID-19 as the pandemic has unfolded. From Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson to Khloe Kardashian, famous folks have let us know the possible signs to look out for when it comes to the potentially deadly virus. The latest celeb to tell the world about their symptoms is actor Hugh Grant, who told Stephen Colbert that his first sign of illness was… a bunch of sweat??

During a virtual appearance on The Late Show, Grant explained to Colbert how he knew he was sick. “It started as just a very strange syndrome where I kept breaking into a terrible sweat. It was like a poncho of sweat, embarrassing really,” Grant remembers. “Then my eyeballs felt about three sizes too big and this feeling as though some enormous man was sitting on my chest, sort of Harvey Weinstein or someone.”

Colbert asked Grant if he actually tested positive for virus, which Grant says he and wife Anna Eberstein suffered from sometime in February. He says he tested positive for COVID antibodies about a month ago, so he suspects his illness earlier this year was when he caught it.

“I thought, ‘I don’t know what this is,’ and then I was walking down the street one day and I though, ‘I can’t smell a damn thing,’ and you start to panic,” he says. Grant recalls sniffing flowers to see if his sense of smell was gone, a symptom of COVID that many have reported. “And you get more and more desperate — I started sniffing in garbage cans. You know, you want to sniff strangers’ armpits because you just can’t smell anything,” he says.

“I eventually went home and sprayed my wife’s Chanel No. 5 directly into my face. Couldn’t smell a thing, but I did go blind!” he quips.

Other celebs who have shared their virus experience include Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who got sick along with his wife Lauren Hashian and their two young daughters. Johnson shared that thankfully, little Jasmine and Tiana recovered quickly from the virus. He and Lauren, however, were another story. He says the couple “had a rough go at it.”

Actress Alyssa Milano has also opened up on Instagram about her recovery from COVID including the massive hair loss she says she experienced as fallout from contracting the virus. “One brushing, this is my hair loss from COVID-19,” she said, holding up a chunk to the camera. “Wear a damn mask.”

Though Grant’s recounting of his COVID illness was light-hearted, we can never lose sight of how serious this virus is as our country’s case numbers reach new and terrifying heights. As we enter winter, please keep up with the hand-washing, social distancing, and mask-wearing.