Tom Hanks is 'feeling better every day' after coronavirus diagnosis

20 March 2020

Tom Hanks is "feeling better each day" after he and wife Rita Wilson were diagnosed with coronavirus.

Tom Hanks

The 63-year-old actor and his wife, also 63, revealed they had been diagnosed with the respiratory illness last week, and on Thursday (19.03.20), his representative Leslee Dart issued an update on their health, telling fans the pair are "doing very well" and are on the mend.

Leslee told People magazine: "Tom and Rita are doing very well and continue to recover. Their recovery is very much on course for healthy adults with this virus. They are feeling better each day."

The update comes after Tom's sister Sandra Hanks Benoiton said the star is "not great, but still OK" as he continues to self-isolate from a rental home in Australia.

She said: "I have communicated with my brother. He's not great, but still okay. [Am I] shocked? No. He's an actor, not a god [but] medical care in Australia is good."

Sandra lives in Italy - which has been badly affected by the virus with over 3,000 dead in the country as a result - and she is currently on lockdown.

She added: "I'm in Pordenone province, about an hour north of Venice.

"The lockdown is until April 3 ... so far. We'll see what happens next."

Tom confirmed he and Rita had tested positive for coronavirus - also known as COVID-19 - last week, when he took to Instagram to explain their symptoms.

The 'Saving Mr. Banks' actor wrote at the time: "Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive."

And the following day, Tom gave his fans an update on his health.

He wrote: "Hello folks. @ritawilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness.

"We are taking it one-day-at-a-time. There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no? Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball. (sic)"