Last month, the couple revealed that they both tested positive for the coronavirus while in Australia together

Rita Wilson Says Having Coronavirus at Same Time as Tom Hanks 'Made It That Little Bit Easier'

Rita Wilson is thankful she wasn’t alone in her novel coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery.

In a new interview with The Guardian, the actress, 63, opened up about her bout with the respiratory virus, admitting that contracting it along with husband Tom Hanks made the heath struggle slightly more bearable.

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“I think that having the virus at the same time made it that little bit easier,” said Wilson. “We were taking care of each other instead of having the pressure of taking care of one person and no one taking care of you or understanding that the person at home needs a break.”

She added, “We were fortunate we were in a place where we understood what the other was going through.”

The couple, who tied the knot in 1988, revealed that they both tested positive for COVID-19 on March 11 in Australia, where Hanks was shooting a film. They have since returned to Los Angeles after self-quarantining in Australia for two weeks.

Since then, they have recovered, recounting their experience with the virus to help others know more about the illness.

Reflecting on her extreme symptoms, Wilson told CBS This Morning‘s Gayle King earlier this week that, while sick with the coronavirus, she felt chills like never before.

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“I was very tired,” she said. “I felt extremely achy., uncomfortable, didn’t want to be touched. And then the fever started — chills like I’ve never had before. Looking back, I also realized that I was losing my sense of taste and smell, which I didn’t realize at the time.”

Wilson added that Hanks, 63, presented “milder symptoms” than she had.

“He did not have as high a fever,” she said. “He did not lose his sense of taste or smell. But it still took us the same amount of time to get through it.”

Wilson noted that she and Hanks still don’t know exactly when or how they contracted the contagious respiratory virus. “It was somebody, they said, that Tom and I were both exposed to at the same time. We don’t know when that could have been or where, but all I can say is all our close contacts, family on our work team, no one has tested positive.”

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Now that both stars are recovering, Wilson — who previously overcame breast cancer — said she is awaiting confirmation that their antibodies can help others infected with the virus.

“We recently had been part of a study where we donated our blood, and we are waiting to hear back if our antibodies will be helpful in developing a vaccine,” she explained. “But also if we are able to donate plasma that can be used as donation to other people that are suffering from the virus because we are immune.”