Media Diary: Richard Wilkins tests positive to COVID-19 following split from partner Virginia Burmeister
Richard Wilkins’ COVID-19 diagnosis comes after his bombshell to Media Diary that he’d split up with Virginia Burmeister.
It’s been a tough week for Nine’s legendary entertainment editor Richard “Dickie” Wilkins.
The shock news came through on Sunday night that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
When The Australian’s Media Diary contacted him on Friday, he revealed that he’d had the test, but he was very confident it was purely “precautionary”.
MEDIA DIARY: Read Nick Tabakoff’s full column here.
He told us he’d briefly met Tom Hanks’ wife Rita Wilson twice: backstage at the Sydney Opera House nine days ago, and later at Nine’s Sydney studios last Monday.
He had tweeted out a selfie with the Hollywood star, and very sensibly, as it turned out, excused himself from his Weekend Today hosting duties, with Tom Steinfort standing in. “I’m home alone,” he lamented to Media Diary on Friday.
There was no one at home for Dickie to infect. Wilkins dropped another bombshell to Diary on Friday: that he had split with his partner of two years, former Le Lido Paris dancer Virginia Burmeister, “some time ago”. “It’s all very amicable,” he told us.
Then, on Sunday night, came this announcement: “Richard Wilkins has tested positive to COVID-19,” a Nine spokesman said.
“Richard is not showing any symptoms of the virus and has been self-isolating, on his own at home … Anyone he has been in contact with prior to Thursday afternoon has been notified and will be tested.
“Richard is feeling well and still without symptoms.”
Wilkins thanked viewers for their messages of support on Sunday night, adding it was “bizarre” to have been diagnosed.
Hey ....sincere thanks for all the messages...I really appreciate it. It’s actually a bizarre feeling to have tested positive to this thing we’ve all been talking about. I feel 100% ...no symptoms at all ! Thanks again ....love to all RW xx
— Richard Wilkins (@RichardWilkins) March 15, 2020
Meanwhile, Today Extra hosts David Campbell and Belinda Russell, who also met Rita Wilson, were tested but returned negative results.
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