Jenny McGee says British PM ‘absolutely’ needed to be in intensive care and tells of surreal experience of swapping emojis with Jacinda Ardern

The New Zealand intensive care nurse thanked by British prime minister Boris Johnson has revealed he was treated like “any other patient” – and originally thought his praise was a prank.

Jenny McGee said she had not been told of the public praise in advance. “My first reaction was that it was a joke. I thought my friends were playing a joke on me … it was totally out of the blue,” she told TVNZ.

NHS nurse from New Zealand 'blown away' by Boris Johnson's thanks Read more

The 35-year-old – who has worked as an intensive care nurse for 10 years, five of those as a sister – highlighted just how ill Johnson was, saying: “We take it very seriously who comes into intensive care, these patients who come into us it’s a very scary thing for them so we don’t take it lightly. And he absolutely needed to be there.”

Johnson thanked “Jenny from Invercargill” on his release from hospital on 13 April, crediting her and another nurse with saving his life after he contracted Covid-19 and became severely ill. Johnson said two nurses sat by his bed for 48 hours, nursing him through the darkest time when “things could have gone either way”.

McGee also revealed the toll the coronavirus restrictions were taking. “People are dying without their loved ones around … we can be there to hold their hand but it should be their family and that’s heartbreaking to watch,” she said.

“I’m so proudly New Zealand and we are a wonderful group of people who just get on with it when we’re up against it. The messages [from Kiwis] are adorable, there are kids telling me they want to be a nurse, there are families saying how proud they are, and it means so much [to me] right now.”

“People will never know how much it means.”

McGee said she and Johnson talked about New Zealand, and her home town of Invercargill – the country’s most southern major town, famous for rugby, oysters and farming . “He was interested to know about Invercargill,” she said.

McGee said the toughest part of the shift was the intense media interest in Johnson’s care, with dozens of global television crews stationed outside the hospital around the clock.

McGee was holidaying back home in New Zealand in February and made a snap decision to return to St Thomas’ hospital in London, where she felt her skills were needed as Covid-19 spread.

Following Johnson’s public praise of McGee, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern added her voice to mix, revealing she had messaged McGee on Facebook.

McGee told TVNZ she initially thought Ardern’s public thank you was “a prank” too, because the prime minister was a hero of hers. The two exchanged multiple Facebook messages – and some banter, McGee told TVNZ.

Play Video 1:32 Parents of nurse who treated Boris Johnson 'exceptionally proud' – video

“She’s a hero of mine, I think she’s amazing, and she just said how proud she was of me, that the country was so proud, and it’s so heartwarming and something I will never forget,” McGee said.

“I responded [to Ardern] and she messaged back immediately, a little bit of banter which is again, surreal, a couple of emojis.”

McGee said her workmates were “giving her stick” for her overnight global fame, but that she loved them keeping her grounded and in good spirits as the tough work of looking after Covid-19 patients continued unabated.