Gogglebox’s Amy Tapper has credited her family’s health kick for saving her father Jonathan’s life after he contracted COVID-19.
Amy, 20, who appears on the Channel 4 series with her dad, 52 – as well as mum Nikki and brother Josh – has reflected on how she and Jonathan have each lost three stone.
‘If we hadn’t lost the six stone last year when we did, could this have been a different outcome for us? I just don’t know,’ Amy mused, speaking to The Sun. ‘It’s public knowledge that in most cases, the healthier you are when you contract coronavirus, the more likely you are to survive.
Healthy: Gogglebox’s Amy Tapper has credited her family’s health kick for saving her father Jonathan’s life after he contracted COVID-19
‘I can’t even begin to think about what might have happened to dad – and to me – if we hadn’t changed our lives last year. Dad is now taking it easier but the rest of us are fully well now.
‘I know that if he wasn’t eating right and taking care of himself, things could have been a lot worse for him.’
Jonathan was diagnosed with diabetes and, as a result, slimmed down from over 21st to 18st 8lb. He also slimmed his waist down to 38in, from 44in.
She said: ‘I can’t even begin to think about what might have happened to dad – and to me – if we hadn’t changed our lives last year. Dad is now taking it easier but the rest of us are fully well now’
Happy family: Amy, 20, who appears on the Channel 4 series with her dad, 52 – as well as mum Nikki and brother Josh – has reflected on how she and Jonathan have each lost three stone
He changed his calorie count from more than 3,000 to just 1,800, swapping crisps and full English breakfasts with protein rich chicken lunches.
Previously speaking of his weight loss, he said: ‘Filming for Gogglebox could take up to 12 hours a week and that was 12 hours that I was paid to sit around without moving.’
Wife Nikki previously revealed she cared for him for two weeks after the deadly virus left him struggling to breathe, and still fears he may suffer a relapse.
Worrying: Gogglebox star Jonathan was left fighting for his life after contracting coronavirus (pictured last year)
Nikki, 47, told The Daily Star Jonathan showed his first symptoms in March and said that he suffered a cough and high temperature and was left unable to move by the virus.
She added that he lay down on the sofa and didn’t move for two weeks, and at times he struggled to breathe.
Nikki continued: ‘We tended to him as best we could, but at times he seemed unable to breathe. Having spoken to the doctors, they urged us to stay home, but they said to quickly get an oxygen monitor, which fixed to his finger.’
She added that the rest of the family have also been infected by the virus, and Jonathan was watched by his daughter Amy, 20, when the virus reached its worst point.
Scary: His wife Nikki revealed she cared for Jonathan at home after he contracted the virus, and still fears he may suffer a relapse (pictured on Gogglebox with children Amy and Josh)
Nikki said: ‘I tried to keep calm, asking him all the time if he could breathe. I felt that I couldn’t think straight because I was so unwell myself at the time too. Amy was crying.
‘But I kept vigil through the night and monitored his oxygen levels and luckily, with the help of 111 [NHS helpline], we got through to the next day.’
Jonathan is now continuing to rest and recover from the virus to try and avoid suffering a relapse.
A spokesperson for the Tappers told MailOnline: ‘I can confirm that the Tapper family all contracted Covid-19. We are really pleased to say the family are better – Jonathan is at the very end of his recovery and is now taking it easy.’
Nikki said she hopes that she and her family will have developed some form of immunity from the virus, and offered her thoughts to families who are going through the same ordeal.
Worries: Jonathan, who is diabetic, lost three stone last year following warnings from doctors about his health (pictured pre-weight loss in 2017)
The Tappers have since shared a glimpse of Jonathan’s recovery as they recently shared a TikTok video of themselves dancing.
The clip, shared on April 10, shows the whole family, including Jonathan, performing an energetic synchronised routine in their living room.
The video, shared on Twitter, was captioned: ‘About time we got off the couch…. nice try mum and dad xx’
Jonathan and Nikki appeared on Gogglebox from 2013 with daughter Amy and son Josh, who quit the show in 2017 after landing a job at 10 Downing Street.
Worried: Nikki admitted she feared at points her husband may die of the virus, but cared for him home with the help of 111 and an oxygen monitor (pictured in 2016)