Football legend Clive Allen has today revealed he has coronavirus.
Former Tottenham and England striker Allen, 59, has been self-isolating for more than a fortnight after testing positive to the deadly disease at his home.
TV and Radio pundit Allen, who netted a club record 49 goals in one season for Spurs in 1986-87, said he had started to show the "classic symptoms" of the bug.
He said: “I just had the classic symptoms; high temperature, shivery and felt as if I had a bout of the flu.
“Over two or three days it took hold and I felt unwell for five days, one day particularly so. I had quite a nasty headache which I never get. It was vice-like around my head.
“After I began to feel better, I had a dry cough for about three days.
“Because there was information about the illness I called 111 and they said they’d call me back within two or three days, which they did.
“They came three or four days later and tested me at my house. Health England arranged it and the lady came and swabbed my nose and my mouth.
“She went away and I got the positive result five days later.
“I thought I had a bad attack of flu but obviously due to the timing of it I was a little bit concerned because there was a lot being talked about the coronavirus.
“I isolated straight away when I started to feel unwell because of what was being said. That was on March 9. I am still self-isolating now."
Allen added: "I am still a bit concerned and wary knowing I have tested positive.
“I am making sure I am isolating from family members; particularly older ones and my children have come to see us but have talked to us from the garden.
“I am scared, absolutely. I would like to think I am reasonably healthy and I know how I felt. I hate to think how that would feel to somebody who is vulnerable.
“We need to protect those people because I would not wish that on anybody.
“I would like to think everybody is sensible and respectful.
"There are people out there who are very susceptible should they get the disease so we all have to do the right thing.”
Allen also fears he has passed on the potentially lethal illness to wife Lisa, who has breathing difficulties.
He said: “The problem I had is that my wife has respiratory problems so my concern was for her and she is unwell at the moment.
“Hopefully she does not get any worse but that was my immediate fear and that has happened.
“She now I think has it, although we have spoken to 111 and they have said she has to treat the symptoms the same as everyone else.”