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After being infected with Covid in April 2020 following a trip to Mexico City, The Ride Like the Wind singer, 71, was struck by the onset of a rare immune disorder which he said meant he “could barely move”.

Cross told journalists in a throwback interview months later that he was diagnosed by doctors with a condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare serious condition that affects the nerves.

They believed that Cross’ condition was caused by his COVID-19 infection, he said.

“It was the worst 10 days of my life,” Cross said on CBS Sunday Morning in October 2020.

“And I couldn’t walk, could barely move. And so it was certainly the darkest of times for me, you know?

“It really was touch-and-go, and tough.”

Most people with Guillain-Barre syndrome recover eventually but it can be life-threatening and lead to long-term issues.

It tends to affect the feet, hands, and limbs, causing numbness, weakness, and pain, according to the NHS.

For Cross, it wasn’t just the condition that affected him but the medication. He explained that the nerve medication he was prescribed affected his memory and gave him mind fog around the time.

In the CBS appearance, he said: “My speech at times can be affected. Memory is a big deal, too. Just neurologically, I’m kind of a little foggy.”

Most people will recover from Guillain-Barre syndrome within six to 12 months but roughly one-fifth of people will have long-term problems.

These problems include being unable to walk without assistance, numbness, pain or tingling or a burning sensation and extreme tiredness.

Just over a month after his CBS appearance, and over seven months since his initial Covid infection, Cross posted on Twitter that he made “remarkable progress” for the first few months but things “slowed” down and doctors became “unsure” how much he would heal.

He is currently touring and was able to bounce out of his wheelchair, start to walk and move his fingers and face.

He announced on a video in May last year: “If not for the quick diagnosis by my doctor, great care by my medical team at Cedars medical centre and the support of family and friends like the GBS Cidp foundation… I’m not sure what shape I’d be in today.

“I’m here today celebrating my seventieth birthday with all of you.

“What do I want from my birthday? Well there’s no better thing that I can do than to ask you to support the work of the GBS Cidp foundation.”

The NHS explains that it’s not “clear exactly why” Guillain-Barre syndrome occurs after an infection in the airways.

According to a study article, “Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare manifestation of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection”.

GBS in COVID-19 follows a time lag of one to four weeks and may be attributable to the “immune mechanism of molecular mimicry”.

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