Malaika Arora talks about her COVID recovery journey, says it was ‘not easy’

By ANI

NEW DELHI: Bollywood diva Malaika Arora, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in September 2020, in a new social media post on Monday, opened up and spoke at length about her recovery experience from the deadly virus, saying it was “not easy”.

The 47-year-old star took to her Instagram handle and shared a collage of pictures of her toned body. She revealed in the caption that the virus ‘broke’ her physically and that even basic movements like walking felt like a herculean task.

Malaika, who is a known fitness enthusiast, revealed that by virtue of her reputation, people assumed it must have been easy for her to recover.

She wrote, “You’re so lucky”, “It must have been so easy” is something I hear regularly. Well yes, I am grateful for a lot of things in my life. But luck played a very small role in it. And easy!? Boy! That, it was not. I tested positive on the 5th of September and it was really bad. Anyone out there calling a COVID recovery easy is either blessed with great immunity or isn’t aware of the struggles of COVID.”

Talking further about her recovery experience, Malaika wrote, “Having gone through it myself, “Easy” is not the word I’d choose. It broke me physically. Walking 2 steps felt like a herculean task. Sitting up, just stepping out of bed, wanting to stand in my window was a journey in itself. I gained weight, I felt weak, lost my stamina, I was away from my family and more. I finally tested negative on the 26th of September and I was so grateful that I did. But the weakness stayed.”

Malaika said that she felt weak even after recovering and that working out was quite a struggle for her, “I felt disappointed that my body wasn’t supporting how my mind felt. I was afraid that I’d never gain back my strength. I wondered whether I’d even be able to complete one activity in 24 hours. My first workout, was brutal. I couldn’t do anything well. I felt broken. But Day 2, I got back up and I told myself, I am my own maker. And then day 3 and 4 and 5 and so on.”

Eight months since her recovery, Malaika said that she is finally feeling like herself, “It’s been about 32 weeks since I tested negative and I finally have started to feel like myself again. I’m able to workout the way I used to before I tested positive. I’m able to breathe better and I feel strong both physically and mentally.”

She concluded by thanking everyone for all the wishes that kept her spirits high, “The four letter word that pushed me through was HOPE. The hope that it’s all going to be okay, even when it feels like it’s not okay. Thank you to all of you who have been sending me messages, DMs and inspiring stuff which kept my spirits high. But I also pray that the world recovers as well and we all come out of this together. I come out of this phase with 2 words.”

The second wave of coronavirus infected many people, and the number of COVID-19 positive cases has been on the rise. In Bollywood also, an array of celebrities like Manish Malhotra, Vicky Kaushal, Ranbir Kapoor, among others got infected within a span of weeks.

Earlier, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Arjun Kapoor, and some others were also infected with the virus.

Malaika, who took COVID vaccination on April 2, is quite active on social media and regularly updates fans on her activities by posting pictures and videos.

Though she is mostly seen busy judging reality shows, she also commands an awesome screen presence which makes her fans go gaga every time she makes an appearance.