Tom Hanks' bones felt like they were 'made out of crackers' during coronavirus battle

Tom Hanks' bones "felt like soda crackers" during his coronavirus battle in Australia.

The Forrest Gump star battled the deadly virus earlier in the year alongside his wife Rita Wilson, and admitted the illness left him feeling so fatigued, whilst his wife had a high fever and lost her sense of taste.

Tom Hanks arrives at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
Tom Hanks has said his bones felt like they were made from crackers during his COVID-19 battle. Photo: Getty Images

Explaining his and Rita's symptoms, on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, he said: "We had very different symptoms. She had a higher fever than I did. She had horrible nausea.

"We were eating takeout food that I thought was delicious. It was savoury goodness. It had butter sauces. It had come from a thing, highly recommended joint. And she was saying, 'This tastes like oatmeal to me.' I thought she was insane. I had bones that felt like they were made out of soda crackers and bone-crushing fatigue."

"It felt like your older brother had held you down and just kept fisting you in the buttocks, you know, until you'd said something like, 'I love Flipper'….It felt like I hit my butt. It was just so sore," he said.

Tom Hanks has since donated his plasma to researchers and has been urging people to wear masks to avoid the spread of the virus.

The 64-year-old actor said he was shocked when he was first diagnosed with the virus whilst filming the Elvis Presley biopic in Australia.

“We had no idea how it could have happened or where,” he said.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson attend HBO's Post 2014 Golden Globe Awards Party at Circa 55 Restaurant on January 12, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were both diagnosed with the coronavirus when they were in Australia in March. Photo: Getty Images

Tom previously said in an interview with The Guardian that he and Rita’s symptoms were very different but they both recovered within two weeks.

“Our discomfort because of the virus was pretty much done in two weeks and we had very different reactions, and that was odd,” he said.

On March 11, Tom confirmed he and Rita were Covid-19 positive when he took to Instagram to explain their symptoms making him the first celebrity to go public with their diagnosis.

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)”

On March 16, the pair left the Gold Coast University Hospital less than a week after testing positive to begin quarantine at a rental property.

Laster that month, the couple returned back to the US, after spending two week self-isolating.

"We're home now and, like the rest of America, we carry on with sheltering in place and social distancing," he said in a tweet.

"Many, many thanks to everyone in Australia who looked after us. Their care and guidance made possible our return to the USA. And many thanks to all of you who reached out with well wishes. Rita and I so appreciate it."

With additional reporting by Bang Showbiz

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