Hotel tycoon Sir Rocco Forte, 75, and former M&S boss Lord Stuart Rose, 71, are both battling coronavirus while self-isolating at their country homes
- Sir Rocco is in holed up at his country estate in Surrey village of Ripley
- He caught infection from either a colleague or one of his two daughters
- Lord Rose has been trying to fight off the virus in recent days in Suffolk
- He said: ‘You have to respect it because you can’t force the recovery’
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Hotels tycoon Sir Rocco Forte and Ocado chairman Lord Rose who are both in their 70s have contracted coronavirus, they revealed today.
Sir Rocco is in self-isolation at his country estate after catching the infection from either a colleague or one of his two daughters Lydia, 33, or Irene, 32.
The 75-year-old has been suffering from ‘a very bad cough, sore throat, high temperature and headache’ while holed up at home in the Surrey village of Ripley.
Hotels tycoon Sir Rocco Forte (left, with his wife Lady Aliai) and Ocado chairman Lord Rose (right, with his partner Anna Hartropp) are both trying to fight coronavirus
However Sir Rocco, who is chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels, has begun to feel slightly better and plans to hold a board meeting tomorrow via video conference.
The hotelier who has £355million empire told The Times: ‘I’ve always kept fit and I suppose it’s in times like these that it stands you in good stead.’
Bournemouth-born Sir Rocco added that his wife Lady Aliai, who does not have coronavirus, is ‘fussing around like an old hen. Or a young hen, I should say.’
His daughter Irene got engaged to technology entrepreneur Felix Winckler in January, with their marriage set to be one of the society weddings of the year.
Irene counts Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie among her close friends, plus Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriends Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas.
Meanwhile Lord Stuart Rose, 71, the chairman of both Ocado and Fat Face, has also been trying to fight off the virus in recent days.
The former Marks and Spencer chairman told the Times: ‘It’s a nasty little bug, but you have to respect it because you can’t force the recovery.
‘I’ve still got a lingering cough and fatigue, but if you rest up, hydrate and listen to your body, then you get through it.’
He is self-isolating at his cottage in Suffolk after visiting there a fortnight ago for a few days, but is still carrying out business via conference calling.
There have now been 1,228 coronavirus-related deaths in the UK, figures revealed yesterday, with 19,522 people testing positive out a total of 127,737 tested.
People aged 70 and over are at more risk of severe illness from the virus, with the Government urging them to take greater measures to protect themselves.
The global increase in new infections is now about 70,000 per day – up from about 50,000 just days ago. More than 32,000 people have died worldwide.