Anna Wintour's doctor son 'quite ill' with coronavirus

Anna Wintour has teared up on camera after revealed that her doctor son, Charles Shaffer, is "quite ill and self-quarantining at home" away from his family after treating coronavirus patients.

Speaking in a video on the Vogue Instagram account, the famous editor said 35-year-old Charlie, whom she is very proud of, will return to the Intensive Care Unit once he has recovered.

Anna Wintour in a striped top and oversized sunglasses
Anna Wintour has revealed that her son is 'very ill' at home in isolation. Photo: Instagram/Vogue

"My son is a doctor. He is currently quite ill and self-quarantining at home, away from his wife and his two small daughters. But when he is able, he will return to the ICU at his local hospital,” the 70-year-old, her voice cracking.

“I am so proud of him and so grateful to all the health workers, first responders, nurses and doctors, who are fighting to reduce the spread of the virus and to save lives."

Charles has two young children, whom he shares with his wife, Elizabeth Shaffer, co-founder and CEO of Shop Masse.

Charles and Elizabeth Shaffer with their two daughters
Charles Shaffer is pictured with his wife and two daughters. Photo: Instagram/Elizabeth Shaffer

Anna, who is also mum to 32-year-old Bee Schaffer, previously spoke about what things were like for her when she was a working mum of two kids for The Telegraph’s Stella Magazine.

“I would try to take them with me when I could just so they could experience and see a little bit of what a work day involved,” she said back in 2015.

“I always made a point of talking to them about what I did and introducing them to people I worked with.

“And I'm not trying to be dismissive with this; of course there were times when it was difficult. But it's the way we all live today and it's not changing.”

Wearing a pair of massive oversized sunglasses in the new video, Anna went on to open up about her own coronavirus lockdown experience in a video for A Common Thread - a new fundraising initiative for the fashion industry set up by executives at Vogue and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to help struggling designers and fashion businesses.

Charles Shaffer and Elizabeth Cordry attend the "Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2016 in New York City.
Charles had been at work treating coronavirus patients but is now isolating at home alone. Photo: Getty Images

Wintour also explained the motivation behind the A Common Thread initiative insisting it is so important to help designers survive the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in stores being closed and fashion events cancelled all over the glove.

"The fashion industry has been hit hard. I have been speaking to so many American designers and others in the community who fear that they won't make their payroll or have had their orders returned, stores closed, who fear that their businesses and their livelihoods may not survive what we're going through. The fund we've created is intended to help them and the talented people they work with,” she said.

With extra reporting by Bang Showbiz

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