Benedict Cumberbatch worries he might have been "patient zero"

Speaking to the independent.co.uk, he explained: "I was incredibly ill, to the point that when all this COVID stuff suddenly broke in the new year, I was thinking, oh my god was I actually patient zero. I was so ill – it was borderline pneumonia."

It was previously revealed Benedict donated £12,000 to buy hospital scrubs.

The generous star got in touch with Savile Row tailor Emma Willis after she launched her Style For Surgeons initiative back in April.

Emma - who previously fitted Benedict, 44, for shirts onscreen and for his wedding to Sophie Hunter in 2015 - said: "It was so great. I got a call from him out of the blue saying: 'It's Benedict, I'm in New Zealand'. He said: 'I've heard about your Style For Surgeons and I would love to get involved. What can I do?' I said, 'We're aiming to raise £30,000 and we've got £12,000 more to raise to cover the cost of the fabric, we're covering the cost of the making of them.' He said: 'Count it done,' and transferred the rest of the money.

"He obviously felt a real need to support. We do ongoing work with him and there's also something in the pipeline. I think people, like Benedict, who use their influence and fame to support important causes are wonderful. They see how they can help people through their fame in such a positive way."