Ellen DeGeneres details COVID-19 symptoms in 1st show back since diagnosis

Ellen DeGeneres was all smiles as she returned to her self-titled talk show Wednesday, which she opened by detailing her battle with COVID-19.

"I want to start the show by talking about something positive -- my COVID test," DeGeneres, 62, joked to the virtual studio audience, which she thanked for the well-wishes while she was recovering. Her show's first episodes of 2021 were delayed by her diagnosis, which she announced via Twitter in December.

"I was getting ready to tape the show and I was in hair and makeup. Then my assistant Craig walks in and says, 'You tested positive for COVID.' And then everyone around me ran away," she said to laughs, adding, "I left the studio immediately and our COVID safety team informed everyone that I had been in contact with."

"The first three days, I slept for 16 hours a day," DeGeneres continued, recounting her symptoms. "And then on the fourth day, I woke up with back spasms. It just persisted and the doctor put me on pain pills and muscle relaxers."

When those failed to provide relief, her physician put her on a course of steroids, which did the trick. "That's the only symptom I had," she said, describing her back pain as feeling like she cracked a rib.

"I didn't have a headache, I didn't have a fever, I didn't lose my sense of taste. I started to feel better and I am very fortunate and very, very blessed," she declared. "That was it for me."

DeGeneres noted that she is still surprised she contracted the disease, telling her viewers, "I wear a mask, I wash my hands. It's a mystery to me how that would happen."

Watch the full segment here: