Linda Lusardi will strip off for The Real Full Monty after a terrifying brush with death as she battled coronavirus
LINDA Lusardi has signed up for The Real Full Monty after her terrifying brush with death as she battled coronavirus.
The former Page 3 legend was one of the first celebs to contract the deadly bug and was hospitalised for weeks back in March - but made a miraculous recovery with the nation tracking her every progress.
Linda, 62, will now strip off for The Real Full Monty after beating Covid-19 and being at "death's door".
She will raise awareness of cancer and its early symptoms when she takes part in the first The Real Full Monty to be filmed on an ice rink.
In the new move the show will be performed on ice for the first time - which shouldn't be too difficult for Linda who came sixth in the 2008 series of Dancing On Ice.
Linda's decision to take part comes four years after she had a hysterectomy to stop a tumour that was non-life-threatening from growing.
All the women taking part have a connection to cancer, and the model will be joined by Coleen Nolan, whose two sisters were diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Dame Jenni Murray, Coronation Street's Hayley Tamaddon, and This Morning's resident doctor, Zoe Williams are also taking part.
Linda left her family terrified during her nightmare fight with the coronavirus.
Husband Sam Kane revealed he thought she was "dead" when he saw her lying in intensive care in March.
Linda's husband Sam, 51, got the coronavirus first and Linda caught it while nursing him.
The pair were rushed to hospital together in the same ambulance and then she spent 10 nights fighting the deadly bug.
Once at the hospital the couple were separated and Sam was sent home after three days.
"Having to leave her there was terrible," he said.
"I went into meltdown thinking I would never see my wife again."
Sam was finally allowed to visit his wife but what he saw shook him to the core.
"When I walked through the door I thought she was gone, she looked like she was dead."
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The former Page 3 girl admitted she still isn't fully back to normal.
She told The Sun in August: "Sam's had heart palpitations quite badly, and he's under a cardiologist at the moment. They can't see anything specifically wrong.
"I've had some hair loss which has been a bit distressing. I still haven't got the energy I had before although I'm getting there. Every week's a bit better."