‘We have to take this seriously’: Sophia Myles urges people to socially distance after watching dad Peter die an ‘unnatural death’ to coronavirus despite having no underlying health conditions
Actress Sophia Myles has urged others to take the increasing spread of coronavirus COVID-19 seriously after watching her father die an ‘unnatural death’ to the respiratory disease.
Appearing from home quarantine on Good Morning Britain, the British star, best known for her role as Darcy in the Transformers franchise, revealed her dad Peter’s breathing gradually declined as the illness took its toll.
And Sophia, 40, admits she was not able to touch her father, a retired Church of England vicar, as his life slipped away due to the highly contagious nature of the airborne virus.
Take heed: Actress Sophia Myles has urged others to take the increasing spread of coronavirus COVID-19 seriously after watching her father die an ‘unnatural death’ to the respiratory disease
She said: ‘My dad was 76 and did have underlying health conditions he contracted the virus and within a few days of being informed about that he passed away.
‘I was one of the lucky ones I got to see him before he died and under strict medical advice I was allowed in with a visor and uniform. They allowed me at one moment to hold his hand but I was wearing protective gloves and we couldn’t have that flesh to flesh moment.
‘It was obvious that his breathing was slowing… people are dying because they aren’t able to breathe and it’s an unnatural death because their bodies go at a time they don’t want to die.’
Devastating: The British star, best known for her role as Darcy in the Transformers franchise, revealed her dad Peter’s breathing gradually declined as the illness took its toll
Sophia admitted the overwhelming impact of coronavirus was having on British hospitals and overworked NHS staff was evident whenever she visited her father.
She recalled: ‘Both for the patients and the people going into visit I had to wait for about half an hour while they found a uniform for me and there was this eerie silence in the ward. It was so frightening and you could tell everyone was on edge.’
The actress and her family are now going through the difficult process of arranging Peter’s funeral, but she admits the growing list of coronavirus related deaths means he may not get the service he deserves.
Speaking out: Appearing from home quarantine on Good Morning Britain, the British star, best known for her role as Darcy in the Transformers franchise, revealed her dad Peter’s breathing gradually declined as the illness took its toll
Tragic: ‘My dad was 76 and did have underlying health conditions he contracted the virus and within a few days of being informed about that he passed away,’ she told hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid
‘My dad’s funeral, we’re finding it very very hard to arrange that because there’s a back log at the moment,’ she said. ‘They’re shortening the period of the service. We get about five minutes and a limited number of close friends and relatives.’