Former Gogglebox star Jonathan Tapper is recovering at home after battling the deadly coronavirus disease, his family have revealed.

The 52-year-old, who suffers from diabetes, was at one point attached to an oxygen monitor as he gasped for breath.

"One night Jonathan came home from work and was unable to move," wife Nikki told the Daily Star. "He had a cough and high temperature. He laid down on the sofa and – with no exaggeration – he stayed there for two weeks in our lounge room.

"We tended to him as best we could, but at times he seemed unable to breathe. Having spoken to the doctors, they urged us to stay home, but they said to quickly get an oxygen monitor, which fixed to his finger. Jonathan has underlying health conditions like diabetes and is in his early 50s, so we were very concerned.

"I rushed downstairs and couldn't believe how pale he was, heaving with every breath. I tried to keep calm, asking him all the time if he could breathe. I felt that I couldn't think straight because I was so unwell myself at the time too. Amy was crying."

The patriarch is now past the worst of his illness but is said to be "still too sick to speak about his ordeal".