Antonio Banderas reveals he has coronavirus on 60th birthday

The actor Antonio Banderas has confirmed on Twitter that he is suffering from coronavirus. In a message posted on 10 August, his 60th birthday, the actor said he was forced to celebrate in quarantine but reassured followers that his health was largely unaffected.

He wrote: “I would like to add that I am relatively OK, just a little more tired than usual and confident to recover as soon as possible following the medical indications that I hope will allow me to overcome the infectious process that I suffer and that people is affecting around the planet.”

The actor added: “I will take advantage of this isolation to read, write and rest, continue making plans to begin to give meaning to my newly released 60 years to which came loaded with desire and illusion.”

“Big hugs to everyone.”

It is not known where Banderas is currently based; the actor has a primary residence in Surrey, England, as well as homes in Spain and New York.

Born in Madrid, Banderas’s collaborations with Pedro Almodovar made him a star in his native Spain; he then forged a considerable Hollywood career with films such as The Mask of Zorro, Philadelphia and Puss in Boots.

His most recent film with Almodovar, Pain and Glory – a loosely autobiographical work in which he played a film director stricken with ennui – won much acclaim and an Oscar nomination for Banderas.

Other major film stars to be diagnosed with coronavirus include Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, as well as Idris Elba, Marianne Faithfull, Olga Kurylenko and Mel Gibson.