Daniel Radcliffe 'flattered' people chose him for a coronavirus hoax

Daniel Radcliffe has responded after a fake news story did the rounds on social media this week, and he joked pranksters picked him because he is "very pale".

Speaking on Australian radio show Smallzy's Surgery this week, the Harry Potter star laughed: "I think it's just because I look ill all the time, so you can believably say it about me.

"'Cause I'm very pale... But, you know, flattered they chose me."

The 30-year-old actor was told about the hoax by a make-up artist who showed him a tweet from a fake BBC Twitter account claiming he had contracted covid-19 amid the ongoing global outbreak.

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He said: "I walked into the hair and make-up room on a play yesterday, and the makeup artist was like, 'My niece has just texted me and told me you've got the coronavirus.'"

Daniel was quick to explain the prank appeared on a fake profile, with enough people sharing it as the rumour gathered pace.

He added: "I think it was on a fake BBC account, but then enough people saw it... That is the internet."

The star recently revealed he was mistaken for a homeless person in New York while walking his dog with girlfriend Erin Darke.

He said: "I was in New York recently with my girlfriend and while she was in a shop, I was outside with our adopted dog.

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"It was very cold, and I had on a hoodie, a fleece and then a big coat over the top.

"Because it was so cold, I knelt down to warm the dog and I saw this guy looking at me and then he walked past me.

"But then he came back and handed me five dollars and said, 'Get yourself a coffee mate.' Apparently, I need to shave more often!"