Tracey Emin: Artist reveals she "thought she might die" after contracting Covid-19

Beloved artist Tracey Emin feared she could have died after recently catching Covid.

The 60-year-old took to Instagram earlier today (8 July) to open up about her recent experience with Covid-19 - almost a year after getting the "all-clear" from her bladder cancer treatment.

Posting from her home and studio in France, she said: "I love it here , it’s very magical in the true sense of the word. Usually I’m always painting here but this time I'm recovering from having Covid.

"I can’t believe how ill I was, at one point, I actually thought I might die. They say there is a new variant, more deadly than before.

"F*** knows, all I know is I have to be very careful - life is too beautiful to say goodbye."

The new variant Emin refers to in her post is the Eris variant, which has made headlines in the UK this week.

Eris is a strain of the Omicron variant, which compared to the original strain of Covid-19 is more contagious, but less harmful. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has however noted a rise in Covid-related hospital admissions in recent weeks.

Emin's post has since received more than 8,600 likes on Instagram.

The artist is best known for her unmade bed and tent piece, titled Everyone I Have Ever Slept With. Created in 1995, the tent literally had the names of her former lovers stitched into the material.