Antonio Banderas reveals he has tested positive for coronavirus

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas has tested positive for coronavirus in Malaga on his 60th birthday. 

Banderas, who is best known for his roles in Desperado and The Mask of Zorro, announced his diagnosis on social media. 

The actor revealed he was spending the day in quarantine and said that he was experiencing symptoms of fatigue. 

The news of his diagnosis comes just days after celebrating girlfriend Nicole Kimpel’s 39th birthday in Malaga

The actor posed for a picture with the girlfriend Nicole's birthday cake

The actor posed for a picture with the girlfriend Nicole’s birthday cake

Banderas reassured fans that he expected to make a full recovery in the near future.  

It is not clear where the Madrid-born actor contracted coronavirus, but, translated from Spanish his post read: ‘I feel relatively well, just a little more tired than usual’.

He said he was ‘confident that I will recover as soon as possible’ from the ‘infectious process that I suffer and that is affecting so many people around the planet’.

His diagnosis comes just days after celebrating girlfriend Nicole Kimpel’s 39th birthday in Malaga.  

Antonio previously revealed Nicole saved his life with aspirin when he started suffering the symptoms of a heart attack in 2017

Antonio previously revealed Nicole saved his life with aspirin when he started suffering the symptoms of a heart attack in 2017

The actor added that he would be spending his time in isolation focusing on reading, writing and resting. 

He said he would ‘continue making plans to begin to give meaning to my newly released 60 years to which I arrive loaded with desire and enthusiasm’. 

Banderas has homes in Spain, the US, and near Surrey in England. 

The actor’s work with Pedro Almodovar made him a star in Spain, before pop star Madonna introduced then to Hollywood. 

He carved an illustrious career spanning more than 100 movies, with huge blockbuster success including Philadelphia, Puss in Boots, and Pain and Glory.

Banderas previously suffered a heart attack in January 2017 and credited Nicole with saving his life when he started suffering symptoms.

He later underwent surgery to insert three stents in his arteries. 

Banderas is the latest in a string of high-profile figures to test positive for the illness, including Tom Hanks, Idris Elba, Bryan Cranston and the singer Pink. 

The 60-year-old is best know for his roles in Desperado and The Mask of Zorro

The 60-year-old is best know for his roles in Desperado and The Mask of Zorro

Spain is the worst-hit nation in Europe at the moment, with many of its neighbours including Italy, Germany and the UK, recommending against travelling there.

The country has already been hit with new travel restrictions in a blow to its tourism-reliant economy. 

The country has so far seen 314,362 confirmed infections, with cases soaring over the past week and 28,503 deaths recorded. 

Rising cases: Spain has suffered a severe spike in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, as this graph shows, while France, Germany and Italy have also seen upticks in new infections

Rising cases: Spain has suffered a severe spike in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, as this graph shows, while France, Germany and Italy have also seen upticks in new infections 

On Friday the Health Ministry reported 4,507 new infections — nearly 500 more than the day before. 

The data, however, does not include information from the hardest-hit region of Aragon due to technical issues. 

The Mediterranean country announced nearly 26,000 new infections in the last seven days, up from 16,000 the week before and fewer than 2,000 in late June.

Catalonia alone saw more than 5,000 cases in the space of a week, while the nearby region of Aragon had the country’s highest infection rate per 100,000 people. 

Despite Spain’s increase in cases, only 46 virus patients were admitted to intensive care in the week up to last Friday, compared to more than 20,000 people who tested positive for the virus.

The death toll has generally remained in single figures despite the recent increase, with only 16 fatalities in the week to Thursday.  

The country has a series of strict rules in place in a bid to stem an uptick in infections. 

These include keeping a social distance of 1.5 metres, the mandatory wearing of face masks in public spaces and tracking and tracing methods. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk