Earlier this week, Married At First Sight’s Mikey Pembroke was falsely accused of being ‘patient zero’ for COVID-19 in Australia.
The false rumour started when he was shown coughing during Tuesday’s reunion episode, which was filmed in mid-January after he had returned from a trip to Italy.
On Friday, the 29-year-old operations manager was criticised by some of his followers on Instagram after he made a joke about the speculation.
Just kidding! Married At First Sight’s Mikey Pembroke divided fans on Friday after joking about false rumours he’d contracted coronavirus in Italy and brought it to Australia in January
Posting a throwback photo from his trip, Mikey wrote: ‘Throwback to when I apparently picked up and brought COVID-19 to Australia!’
While most of his fans got the joke, some couldn’t find the humour in it.
‘Pathetic joke grow up,’ one of them snapped. Another added: ‘You sounded sick at the dinner on Tuesday. So maybe you did. Not funny.’
Posting a throwback photo from his trip to Italy, Mikey wrote: ‘Throwback to when I apparently picked up and brought COVID-19 to Australia!’
However, most of the comments were simply gushing over Mikey’s good looks, with many fans saying they’d happily catch coronavirus from him.
‘Wouldn’t mind copping some Rona from him!’ one follower wrote.
Another commented: ‘Look how thirsty some of these comments are.’
‘Wouldn’t mind copping some rona from him!’ Most of the comments were gushing over Mikey’s good looks, with many saying that they’d happily catch coronavirus from him
Viewers falsely speculated on Twitter that the 29-year-old operations manager was ‘patient zero’ for COVID-19 in Australia because he kept coughing on camera at the reunion – although he never contracted the virus.
While there is no evidence Mikey was exposed to COVID-19, and none is suggested, fans pointed out that he had just returned from a holiday in Italy when the episode was recorded on January 15.
However, Mikey could not have been exposed to COVID-19 for the reason that the first detected case in Italy was some time later, namely on January 29.
Bizarre! Married At First Sight fans came up with a bizarre – and false – theory that Mikey had coronavirus when he filmed Tuesday night’s reunion dinner party
‘Mikey came back from overseas. He is coughing. Patient zero?’ one person tweeted in the first of several false claims.
Another wrote: ‘Why isn’t Mikey in quarantine? I mean, that’s a lot of coughing.’
A third added: ‘Oh God, Mikey’s coughing, he’s patient X for coronavirus with this lot.’
Speculation: Viewers falsely speculated on Twitter that the 29-year-old operations manager was ‘patient zero’ for COVID-19 in Australia because he kept coughing on camera
Coincidence: While there is no evidence Mikey was exposed to COVID-19, fans pointed out that he had just returned from a holiday in Italy when the episode was recorded on January 15
Mikey coughed frequently throughout the episode and at one point stepped outside and had a coughing fit – but this wasn’t due to coronavirus.
The dinner party was stressful for Mikey, who was forced to admit to his one-night stand with Stacey Hampton or face the wrath of his ex-‘wife’, Natasha Spencer.
Last Wednesday, Mikey reflected on his trip to Italy at the start of the year.
Phew! However, Mikey could not have been exposed to COVID-19 for the reason that the first detected case in Italy was some time later, namely on January 29. Pictured in Rome
He captioned a photo of himself on a balcony in Rome: ‘Italy is a little like my family’s adopted country, being there only a few weeks ago and now seeing them really struggling as they approach 7,000 [coronavirus] deaths is devastating.
‘This s**t it serious… what we do now will determine how badly it will affects us. Without health, it’s impossible to move forward… thinking of everyone.’
Coronavirus symptoms include a cough, fever, tiredness and difficulty breathing. (Mikey does not have coronavirus.)
Italy is one of the worst-affected countries, with more than 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11,000 deaths.
As of Friday morning, there are 5,315 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 25 deaths.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Mikey Pembroke for comment at the time.
Pandemic: As of Friday morning, there are 5,315 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 25 deaths