Idris Elba has hinted he caught coronavirus from Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the wife of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

The Luther star revealed he tested positive for the illness earlier this week, telling his Twitter followers: “So look – this morning I got some test results back for coronavirus and it came back positive. Yeah, and it sucks.”

In a video updating his fans on his condition, the actor, 47, said he “[knows he’s] been exposed to it” from 4 March.

“On Friday last week, I was told that someone that I had been in contact with had tested positive,” he said, adding that the figure is “also in the public eye”.

It has now been pointed out that Elba was photographed alongside Sophie Grégoire Trudeau on 4 March at a charity event in London. Lewis Hamilton was also in attendance.

Elba said he was made to test “immediately” as he was on location and risked exposing a lot of people to the virus, which is causing cities around the world to go on national lockdown.

He has been quarantined at home ever since.

“I wasn’t showing any symptoms but I am very glad I made that decision [to get tested], because I have been out of contact with everyone since,” he continued.

He stressed that “early testing is the way we need to approach this”, adding: “Catching corona was definitely not on my bucket list at all.”

Actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have also been diagnosed with Covid-19 and remain in isolation in Australia.