NATASHA Kaplinsky has told of nights she wasn’t sure her husband had survived as he fought coronavirus.

The former BBC newsreader spoke at length about the “frightening” experience as husband Justin Bower struggled with the illness.

The couple, along with their children, have spent lockdown at their home in the Sussex countryside.

Their farm is just a short distance from where Natasha grew up in Barcombe.

Speaking to a national newspaper, the 47-year-old said she knew she was lucky to be spending lockdown at the idyllic estate, alongside Justin, son Arlo, daughter Angelica and almost 50 animals, including ten alpacas.

The Argus:

But the rural paradise was shattered when Justin became seriously ill.

Despite being a “fit and healthy” person, he had contracted Covid-19.

Natasha said: “He was extremely ill. At one point I called an ambulance because I hadn’t been able to control his temperature for ten days.

“He didn’t have a cough but he had every other symptom.

“It was frightening. I had two children, 47 animals and a husband running such a high temperature I had to change his sheets three times a day.

“There were a couple of mornings when I wasn’t sure whether he would have made it through the night.”

Paramedics visited the estate and said it was best for Justin to stay at home as he battled the virus.

And Natasha could not speak highly enough of the frontline heroes who helped her husband.

“They were wonderful,” she said.

The Argus:

“As a result, we made a monumental sign we’ve erected outside our home praising the NHS.

“We are so in awe of those selfless frontline workers who put their lives at risk every day trying to save ours.”

Natasha and her children also contracted the virus but were all fortunate to have a much more mild bout.

Justin is still recovering and “although he’s not quite back to full strength he’s through the worst of it now”, Natasha said.

“I’m so fortunate to have him back,” she said.

The couple said there have been positives to the lockdown, with his job in private equity and her tireless charity work suddenly put on hold.

Natasha said that over the past three months, she and Justin had enjoyed “more meals together than we had in the preceding seven years”.

The Strictly Come Dancing winner has a long-lasting relationship with the county.

The Argus:

She was born in Brighton after her parents moved to the UK as they fled from South Africa after opposing the apartheid regime.

The family then moved to Kenya where Natasha spent her early years, before moving back to England for “various reasons”.

They chose Barcombe, and after developing an affinity for the area, Natasha chose to return to East Sussex in 2012 after her son, Arlo, turned three.

Their 14th century home, on a non-working arable farm, had no animals when they arrived but is now filled with Highland cows, goats, ducklings and more.