TV star Diletta Leotta hears ‘ambulance sirens from sunrise to sunset’ and works from Milan home in coronavirus crisis

Posted Wednesday, March 25, 2020 by Thesun.co.uk

SPORTS reporter Diletta Leotta is self-isolating, as coronavirus rips through her country.

The TV star says she hears 'ambulance sirens from sunrise to sunset' as she works from her Milan home during the coronavirus crisis.

Italian DAZN presenter Diletta Leotta is in self-isolation

Even the beloved football calendar has been tossed to one side, with Juventus stars Daniele Rugani and Paulo Dybala testing positive for the infectious disease, and it appears unlikely fans will be going to stadiums like the San Siro again this season.

But the TV host, best known for being the stunning face of the streaming service DAZN, has issued a rallying cry as the world has been brought to its knees by the killer illness.

She told SunSport: "For now, we all need to think about our and everyone’s safety. We will get through this if everyone does their part.

"Like football players on the field, we all have a role to play and our success will depend on how we perform as a team."

SELF-ISOLATION

Leotta, 28, is currently at her home in Milan as the crisis grows around her.

She said: "We hear the sound of ambulance sirens from sunrise to sunset all around us and the request for hospital places is now much greater than the supply.

"I am seriously worried."

However, she's been given a clean bill of health - despite risking infection on a ski trip to northern Italy resort Courmayeur at the beginning of the month.

"I've never had fever, cough or breathing problems so I haven't been checked," she revealed.

"I'm all alone in my house with the hope that all this mess will be over soon, but frankly I don't think this is going to be a situation that will get resolved soon.

With Italy on lockdown, Leotta is now working from home

"My parents live in Catania in the South of Italy and I'm talking to them every day either just on the phone or on Skype – it makes us feel closer even if we are far away."

WORKING OUT AND BAKING

To pass time, Diletta is working out - just like the athletes she interviews.

She said: "I am training a lot within the four walls of my house."

She's also working from home.

"I read, I watch movies and I bake, especially cakes – like my favourite, mandarin cake.

"Fortunately I am still working. We have developed a new format with DAZN Italia called ‘DAZN Calling’.

"I make video questions from home to sports stars on how they are spending this period, trying to convey a massage of positivity and hope to all people."

However, Diletta is continuing to record video segments from her Milan home

SERIE NAH

On March 9, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte suspended Serie A, which left football fans at a loss at the weekend.

Diletta admitted that she's missing the beautiful game, but her focus has shifted.

"I love football and I miss it a lot but now all our thoughts should be focused on health and safety issues in order to respect all the rules we have been given," she said.

"In these difficult days some sports channels are broadcasting old matches of the Italian national team to boost our national pride.

"Football matches can be useful to remind us our strength to overcome obstacles, on the pitch as in life."

Paolo Maldini, who has been interviewed by Leotta in the past, has been diagnosed with coronavirus

'LIFE IS BIGGER THAN FOOTBALL'

Over the weekend, AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini tested positive for the coronavirus, as did his son Daniel, who is a youth star with the Rossoneri.

Just like our own Premier League, Italian football has been grounded by COVID-19.

Diletta thinks the matches could have been suspended earlier.

But, in reality, football can only play second fiddle to what's more important... life.

She told us: "In Italy several football players tested positive. I hope everything can be resolved in the best way.

"I think games had to be suspended earlier, but you know it's much easier to judge in hindsight.

Serie A could have been suspended earlier, says Diletta

"But for now, thanks to their large fanbases, footballers can spread the message to 'Stay at home' and to avoid close contact with other people. It's the only way to win this war against the virus.

"I think it is important to put things into perspective, especially in this moment.

"At the end, a football game is just a football game. All the suffering that Italy is facing reminds us that life is bigger than football."