UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has shared that thoughts of never seeing his son, who was just about to be born, fueled his strength to fight COVID-19.
"I was deeply frustrated that I couldn't see the path to...do you know what I mean? I just couldn't see the way out of the skip", Johnson said in an exclusive interview with The Sun. "But, yeah, I suppose there was some terrible, as I say, some natural buoyancy or refusal to give in or harbour negative thoughts. I never really thought that I wouldn't come back from it. It was more frustration."
He also said that he refused to think negatively and tried to focus on his happy future with the coming baby and the rest of the family.
On Wednesday, his fiancee, Carrie Symonds, gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson. The announcement came mere days after Johnson returned to his duties after recovering from COVID-19.
According to Symonds, Wilfred shares his first name with the prime minister's grandfather, and the first of his middle names, Lawrie, with her own. The baby got his second middle name from the two doctors who helped Johnson fight the coronavirus infection, Dr Nick Price and Professor Nick Hart.
“We are honoured and humbled to have been recognised in this way, and we give our thanks to the incredible team of professionals who we work with at Guy’s at St Thomas’ and who ensure every patient receives the best care. We wish the new family every health and happiness.”
— Guy's and St Thomas' (@GSTTnhs) May 2, 2020
On Thursday, making his first public appearance after recovery, Johnson stood in front of 10 Downing Street to pay tribute to the National Health Service (NHS). Prior to that, Johnson announced that the UK had passed the peak of the coronavirus outbreak.
The British Prime Minister has five other children - four with his second wife Marina and one who was conceived out of wedlock.