Looking on the bright side! David Burtka explained why he’s glad his family tested positive for the coronavirus early in the pandemic.
“Neil [Patrick Harris] got it first because he was traveling so much from San Francisco shooting Matrix 4,” the Life Is a Party author, 45, exclusively explained to Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 16, while promoting his House Foods partnership. “We thought it was just the flu. … And then he lost sense of taste and smell, and then five days later, I got it.”
The Michigan native said that his experience with COVID-19 “wasn’t bad,” noting that their 9-year-old twins, Harper and Gideon, got the coronavirus as well with fevers and aches.
“The first day was rough,” Burtka recalled of his own symptoms. “The second day was fine. The third was a little bad, and the fourth was probably the worst day of it. Then the fifth, I was feeling better and it was done. So I’m actually super grateful that I got it and it was over, and we were able to sort of go on with our life.”
The family of four have been able to “live a normal-ish life” while quarantining since they no longer have a “sense of fear.” Burtka explained, “I have such empathy for people who have been living this whole summer just in fear of getting it.”
Harris, 47, revealed earlier this month that his loved ones had tested positive. “We holed up,” the actor said during a Today show appearance at the time. “[Now], we have antibodies and are feeling good.”
Harper and Gideon are “bummed” by the pandemic, Burtka told Us on Wednesday. “They get that it stinks,” the chef said. “Their spring break was taken away and their summer, and they can’t go to school.”
While hanging at home with their children, Burtka has been getting them to eat healthy by not placating them. He explained to Us, “They might kick and they might scream, but it’s better for them in the long run because once you start implementing those healthier foods, they’ll eat that.”
To help other families eat healthier meals, Burtka has partnered with House Foods for The Tales of Tofu series with kid-friendly recipes, from nuggets to smoothies.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
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