Brooke Baldwin has opened up about the impact coronavirus had on her marriage and her understanding of connection after testing positive for the virus more than two weeks ago.

On Sunday, the CNN news anchor wrote an essay for the outlet, where she revealed that the virus took a “full two-week beating on my body” and that she “went to some very dark places, especially at night”.

However, according to Baldwin, who at first tried to isolate from her husband James Fletcher, it was human connection that helped her heal and feel better.

“On the darker days, I didn't want to talk to anyone. After days of trying to stay physically apart from my husband, it just became impossible,” the 40-year-old recalled. “He hated to see me suffer and he couldn't not take care of me. He began to hold me in those darker moments and let me cry, whispering: ‘Everything's going to be all right.’

“These simple acts of connecting with me and hugging me were restorative beyond measure.”

And while Baldwin acknowledges that she is “one of the lucky ones,” because she did not struggle to breathe and did not require medical care, she says she is grateful for the reminders that coronavirus gave her.

“First, that clarity comes from being quiet and listening to our feelings. And second, that connection is more vital to our health and happiness than we might care to admit,” she wrote.

According to Baldwin, part of this clarity led her to think about joy, and what makes her happy, about her work and what she hopes to accomplish, and about the “beautiful interdependence of my marriage”.

“In the quiet of my quarantine, I was able to more purely isolate my gratitude and my values,” she explained.

The news anchor concluded the essay reflecting on the importance of connection, and being there for one another, adding that she hopes to “hold onto the clarity and connection I found while I was so damn sick”.

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