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KJ Apa's parents contracted coronavirus during trip to LA for Riverdale star's film premiere

KJ Apa at the premiere of I Still Believe: FilmMagic
KJ Apa at the premiere of I Still Believe: FilmMagic

Riverdale star KJ Apa’s parents contracted Covid-19 after attending a movie premiere in Los Angeles with the star, they have revealed.

In a diary detailing his experience for the The Coconet, Tupa'i Keneti Apa said he thought he was “going to die” after contracting the virus.

“People absolutely need to take this seriously - it's the worst thing I've ever had," he wrote.

Apa, 56, and his wife Tessa caught the virus after travelling to Los Angeles for the premiere of I Still Believe.

He says he lost his sense of smell and taste on March 13 while still in LA, and experienced body aches and a high temperature.

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😍😍

A post shared by Tupa'i K Apa (@tupai.k.apa) on Mar 9, 2020 at 8:05pm PDT

Back in New Zealand, by March 23, Apa said he “could not breathe at all if I sat up or stood up and this continued and got worse all throughout the week."

“I can now get out of bed and breathe ok for about 30 mins before I have to lie down again.," he said. "And I can now smell and taste things again. Each day I'm feeling a little stronger.”

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I survived ...thank God 🙏🙏

A post shared by Tupa'i K Apa (@tupai.k.apa) on Mar 27, 2020 at 8:34pm PDT

Apa said he wanted to share his experience to encourage Pacific communities to be vigilant with self-isolation, and for big aigas (families) to stay in their bubbles.

Tessa also contracted the virus but showed much milder symptoms.

I Still Believe stars KJ Apa as Christain music star Jeremy Camp in a biopic about his rise to fame and relationship with his wife, who was diagnosed with cancer before they married