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Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Brit, 29, thought ‘coronavirus was bull***t’ but is now 'paying the price’

Brit, 29, thought ‘coronavirus was bull***t’ but is now 'paying the price’

A British tourist who used to think coronavirus was ‘bull***t’ has posted a powerful video message from his intensive care bed.

Chris Grailey, 29, thought he was ‘invincible’ but is now breathing with an oxygen mask in hospital after catching the virus on holiday in Spain.

The sales manager from Ancoats, Manchester, has no underlying health conditions and admitted he was the ‘first to say (coronavirus) was all bulls**t’.

Now he is unsure he will ‘come out the other side’ and wants other young people to learn from his mistakes and take the virus seriously.



In the video message, a breathless Chris says: ‘I caught it in Tenerife thinking I was invincible, not wearing a mask.

‘I paid the price. I have got no underlying health issues. I don’t want anyone making the same mistakes as me.

‘Now I’m in intensive care, waiting to get more treatment, and not knowing if I’m coming out the other side.

‘So I really want you to take this message on board because it could happen to anyone, please please take care.’

Chris was speaking from his hospital bed in Watford, where he is based for a work project. He said he fell ill on holiday in the Canary Islands last week.

He was diagnosed with coronavirus and acute pneumonia three days ago.

Chris said: ‘I was ill for most of the holiday – lost my taste, smell, had cold sweats.

‘But it got a lot worse on my return home. I was rushed in Sunday morning for tests and scans and sent home on the Sunday night thinking I was okay.

‘I was then rushed in again Tuesday morning straight onto a Covid ward.’

In an emotional social media post, Chris said: ‘The way I have felt in the last week has been as close to hell I have ever been – I honestly sat there and was ready to just give up.

‘I can’t breathe, walk, move. I’m like a zombie. I am on four different antibiotics, steroids, oxygen 24/7, more holes in my arm than a junkie.

‘The reason I’m showing you all this is because I was the first to say it was all bulls**t and ‘nah f**k it we’re young we won’t get it, it’s only bad flu, government conspiracy bla bla bla’ – wrong!

‘This is REAL, it’s real life killing me. So before you think about going to house parties thinking your invincible getting off your heads sharing £10 notes, look at that picture and imagine it could be you.

‘It can get anyone, I’m 29 with no underlying health conditions. This is serious s**t. Please please wake up guys. There’s more to life than this.

‘I really want the young ones going out and not taking any notice to look at my pictures and think it could be them.

‘I have no underlying health issues and 29 and it’s happened to me. Life is too short to risk your health I have learnt the hard way I don’t want people making the same mistakes I have.’

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