Coronavirus: Daniel Radcliffe denies contracting virus after internet hoax spreads

An internet rumour had Harry Potter fans concerned for the star’s wellbeing

Daniel Radcliffe was the subject of a spurious Internet rumour when word spread that he had been infected with coronavirus.

On Tuesday morning (10 March), a fake BBC Twitter account erroneously claimed that the Harry Potter star had contracted the virus.

According to Buzzfeed News, however, the actor’s publicist has denied the suggestion, saying: “Not true.”

The now-deleted tweet from @BBCNewsTonight read: “BREAKING: Daniel Radcliffe tests positive for coronavirus. The actor is said to be the first famous person to be publicly confirmed.”

Potter fans naturally reacted in dismay to the news that their beloved wizard could be in medical jeopardy.

The falsehood-spreading page has subsequently been taken down for violating the website’s guidelines.

While the account only had a handful of followers, the news was amplified by a few high-profile journalists retweeting the post in error.