Linda Lusardi and her husband were "praying [they] wouldn\'t wake up" during the height of their "horrific" coronavirus pain.
The 61-year-old actress and her husband Sam Kane - who have both been suffering from the respiratory illness - are back at home after 10 days in hospital, and she\'s opened up about the terrifying ordeal.
She told The Sun newspaper: "It got to the stage where both of us were praying we wouldn\'t wake up because it was so bad."
Sam, 51, agreed with his wife, and admitted they both thought that not waking up wouldn\'t be "the end of the world".
He added: "We just looked at each other and said, \'Look, we can\'t take this anymore\'. It was horrific.
"It was like the devil\'s hands were strangling me and holding me down and laughing in my face.
"It\'s the deepest, darkest place we\'ve ever been. We just thought that if we don\'t wake up, it\'s not the end of the world."
The couple revealed how Sam contracted the virus first, and passed it onto Linda while she was caring for him.
She was told by a doctor that he couldn\'t "guarantee anything" when it came to her surviving, but she was determined to stay alive for their son Jack, 20, and 24-year-old daughter Lucy.
The former \'Emmerdale\' star said: "I was thinking, \'I can\'t leave them. I\'ve got to fight to be here for them.\' "
Linda was released from hospital on Monday (30.03.20), and she is recovering, but is still experiencing tiredness and breathlessness.
Sam - who previously revealed his wife was at "death\'s door" - recently heaped praise on the NHS and described the workers as "angels".
He wrote on Facebook: "The most enormous Thank You to all of the NHS staff who continue to get my girl back to health. You\'re all angels.
"To all of our close and dear friends who have sent so much love and support and helped over and above.
"I love you all. Thank you. I\'ll keep you posted."
