Mark Wright reveals his dad 'isn't mentally right' after COVID battle

Mark Wright has shared his family’s harrowing experience of COVID-19, which he said left his father mentally affected and an uncle fighting for his life.

The radio DJ and former Towie star appeared on Good Morning Britain to talk about the tough weeks he has had worrying about relatives being treated for coronavirus.

Stressing the seriousness of the situation to viewers, he said of his dad: “Mentally, something is not right there at the moment... he’s not my dad he was four weeks ago.”

Wright called it “the hardest few weeks of my life” as he explained how several of his family members had contracted the virus.

He said: "My dad is out of hospital now. One of my dad's other brothers is in hospital, he's doing OK, he's on oxygen, and my dad's other other brother, he's in a critical condition as we speak.

"The message is what it should have been and has been from the start, like Kate [Garraway] has tried to promote on Good Morning Britain – until you see it first-hand, that might be the day you realise I need to buck up my ideas, but then it might be too late."

GMB presenter Garraway’s husband Derek Draper has spent months in hospital being treated for severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Sharing more about the effect of the illness on his dad, he said: "When you see it first-hand, it’s the most scariest virus you will ever see, the things it does to the body, what it’s done to my dad.

"He’s out of hospital and I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this but mentally something is not right there at the moment.

“He’s OK, but he’s not my dad he was four weeks ago, he’s better and I’m hoping there’s more improvement to come. But it can leave long-lasting problems."

Wright, who is married to Michelle Keegan, urged people to take the lockdown and the risk of catching the virus seriously.

He said: "I have good friends who are conspiracy theorists and they think it’s all rubbish and you don’t need to be locking down the country.

"My answer is, the government, whether they are right or wrong, they know more than you, so if they are telling you to do this, do it.

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"Because until you get to a point where I am now, and I’ve had the hardest few weeks of my life and looking at basically potentially losing family members who are close to you or them being very sick, you will regret doing what you are doing.

“So listen to the rules, stay at home, there is a lockdown for a reason. Please just obey these rules, it’s so important.”

Watch: Kate Garraway’s kids saw their dad in hospital over Christmas for the first time