Salma Hayek almost died of the coronavirus.
On Wednesday, May 19, Variety reported that the 54-year-old star of the upcoming thriller House of Gucci revealed that she spent most of 2020 recovering from a near-fatal case of COVID-19. The trade outlet said Hayek, a married mother of 13-year-old daughter Valentina, quarantined in a room in her house for about seven weeks and was even put on oxygen at one point.
"My doctor begged me to go to the hospital because it was so bad," she told Variety in a Zoom interview. "I said, 'No, thank you. I'd rather die at home.'"
While keeping her diagnosis private, last November, Hayek posted on social media a video montage showing her getting tested for the coronavirus several times.
Hayek still suffers side effects from COVID-19. Variety said she still hasn't fully regained her energy since her diagnosis. However, she recently returned to work to film the movie House of Gucci, which is inspired by a true story. The actress plays Pina Auriemma, a clairvoyant friend of Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), dubbed the Black Widow and who served 18 years in an Italian prison for orchestrating the 1995 murder of her husband Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), an heir to the Gucci fashion empire.
House of Gucci is set for release this fall. Meanwhile, you can also catch Hayek in the movie The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, which she shot in 2019 and will be released on June 16. Then, in November, Hayek can also be seen in Marvel's Eternals, another movie she filmed before the pandemic broke out.
The actress isn't alone. See which other celebs have opened up about their COVID-19 battles throughout the pandemic.