The actor Antonio Banderas has confirmed that he has contracted Covid-19.
The Mask of Zorro star revealed his diagnosis on his 60th birthday (10th August). On Twitter, he said that he was forced to celebrate the milestone in quarantine, but reassured his fans that his health was largely unaffected.
In a post written in Spanish, he said: "I want to tell you the following..."
"I want to make public that today... I am forced to celebrate my 60th birthday [in] quarantine after having tested positive for the COVID-19 disease, caused by the coronavirus," the translation reads.
"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."
"I will take advantage of this isolation to read, write, rest and continue making plans to start giving meaning to my recently released 60 years, to which I arrive full of desire and enthusiasm," the actor added. "Big hugs to everyone."
Banderas is known for his roles in The Mask of Zorro, and Interview with the Vampire, as well as for playing Puss in Boots in the Shrek franchise.
He rose to fame by starring a series of films by the director Pedro Almodóvar in the 1980s.
Per Sky News, he is believed to spend most of his time in Cobham, Surrey, in the UK.
Banderas is the latest Hollywood star to announce a coronavirus diagnosis, following the likes of Tom Hanks and Idris Elba.
Speaking to The Guardian about his Covid-19 diagnosis, Hanks said that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, became "the celebrity canaries in the coalmine of all things Covid-19," after they contracted the virus back in March while filming in Australia.
