Idris Elba's Wife Sabrina Reveals She Has Tested Positive for Coronavirus, Has No Symptoms
Idris Elba’s wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The couple gave fans an update on their health while sitting down remotely with Oprah Winfrey for the first episode of her new series “Oprah Talks COVID-19,” which is available to watch for free on Apple TV+.
Elba, 47, previously revealed that his wife — who is in quarantine in New Mexico with him — had been tested for the virus on Tuesday, one day after he revealed his own results.
Asked by Winfrey in the episode whether she had gotten her results yet, Dhowre, 30, revealed that she “found out this morning.”
“I tested positive,” she said, noting that she wasn’t “surprised” by the news.
Dhowre went on to share that even after learning her husband had potentially been exposed to the virus, she made the decision to fly out to be with him.
“As soon as I heard that Idris was potentially exposed, I mean, I was on the my way anyway, I wanted to be with him,” she said. “I think that’s an instinct as a wife. You just want to go and take care.”
“We didn’t change the way we interacted,” she added. “I could have made a decision to put myself maybe in a separate room or stay away, and I’m sure that people are making those decisions that are tough decisions to make. But I made the decision to be with him and still touch him.”
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Elba explained that on the day he may have been exposed to the virus, he and his wife had been together — and they continued to spend time together until he left for New Mexico for work.
“If I had caught it, she had certainly caught it in that time period as well,” he said.
The actor went on to point out that while social distancing is very important, he and his wife “made a calculated decision as a family to stick together through this.”
Much like her husband, Dhowre said she hasn’t been experiencing any symptoms of the virus.
“I’m not. It could be similar to Idris,” she said. “We’re in a high altitude it could be that I’m confusing seasonal allergies as maybe symptoms but I don’t feel anything that would come to what people would now expect to be a symptom of coronavirus, which is very strange.”
“It might change in the coming weeks and we’ll keep everyone updated. But It is worrisome that we’re both sitting here, two people and everyone that we know that we’ve been in contact with, all asymptomatic,” she added. “It’s a little bit worrisome.”
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In her own message about the new series, Winfrey explained that she wanted to help “offer some hope” through this difficult time.
“Like millions of people all over the world, I’ve been staying safer at home for over a week now. I know a lot of people are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and uncertain. Because of that, I wanted to offer some hope and gather thought leaders and people going through it to add some perspective,” she wrote on social media, alongside a short clip from the episode.
“I FaceTimed Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina who are safely quarantined together after he tested positive for COVID-19. Idris fills me in on his journey and Sabrina reveals the result of her test after they decided to quarantine together,” she added.
New episodes of Winfrey’s series — which will also focus on mindfulness and feature advice for how to keep spirits high — will become available to stream every week. Clips can also be viewed for free on on Apple TV+, in the Apple TV app, and Apple News.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.
