Theo Paphitis has confirmed that his beloved mother has passed away after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
The Dragon’s Den star, 61, revealed that his father also contracted the virus, but thankfully was able to survive its symptoms after a brief stint in intensive care.
The devastating death of his dear mother is not the only loss that Theo has faced due to the coronavirus pandemic, as his businesses have also been hit incredibly hard since UK’s lockdown back in March.
The proud businessman detailed the colossal impact that the virus has had on both his personal and professional life while speaking to Kathleen Saxton for Advertising Week 2020.
Retail mogul Theo, who shares five children with wife Debbie Stocker admitted that the last couple of months have been ‘incredibly testing times’ for him and his family.
The Dragon’s Den star explained: “We weren't generally touched by Covid, apart from one pretty well serious incident where we lost my mother, and my father ended up in intensive care.
“He's recovered; sadly, my mother had underlying health issues that tipped her over the edge.
“So, it was a stressful time, not being able to go to funerals, not being able to do the normal things that we all do at times like that when we need to grieve. But as a family unit here in sunny Surrey, we coped.”
Theo added that he and his family are trying ‘desperately’ to live their lives as normal as possible following the death of his dear mother.
Mr Paphitis also spoke candidly about the impact of coronavirus on him professionally - in particular the challenges he faces as an employer who is attempting to abide by government advice.
Theo admitted that he finds it difficult to tell his staff to come back to work due to the fact that travelling to and from the office could put their health at risk.
