Linda Lusardi has revealed her coronavirus symptoms were initially mistaken for a tummy bug as she was vomiting blue liquid.
The former glamour model, 61, was admitted to hospital and ended up in intensive care before she eventually started to recover.
She's now given a candid interview about what it was like being struck down with Covid-19, revealing both she and her husband Sam Kane had symptoms that were not typical of the bug.
They both had diarrhoea and sickness, and Linda was vomiting blue liquid - and medics initially thought they'd come down with gastroenteritis.
During an appearance on Sky News today, she explained: "We didn't really recognise the symptoms because they were not typical of what had been put out there.
"My husband and I both had diarrhoea and sickness, which wasn't one of the symptoms we were told about.
"We were told about the dry cough and the fever. We got the fever as well. I caught it from him about three of four days afterwards and we both deteriorated so badly.
"He had days when he was going up and down, but I took a nosedive really until I really couldn't breathe.
"I was vomiting a lot, which was really strange because it was blue. Blue was coming up from my lungs. And lying on my front with a bucket feeling like I was drifting away..."
She went to explain that they phoned NHS 111 several times, before their son felt he had no option but to call an ambulance.
Linda added: "We phoned 111 several times, waited on the phone sometimes two hours once.
"And they just said paracetemol, lots of water. We were doing all the things were were supposed to do and because we had the sickness they said we probably had gastroenteritis not corona.
"My son called the ambulance, did a few tests said oxygen levels in blood were dangerously low and saisd they had to take us on. Off we went to North Middlesex hospital."
Sam was released after three days in hospital, while Linda was left left fighting for her life.
She eventually started to recover and was discharged after 10 days under the care of doctors.
Linda is now recovering well, but she insists the killer bug has taken a toll on her lungs and she still finds herself out of breath just walking around the house.
She added: "It takes days and days and weeks for the lungs to repair from the damage.
"Every time I go up the stairs it's like I've run 100 yards, but every day it's getting better.
"It's good to sit in the garden, hear the birds and just be alive really."
