Steve Burns Says Fellow Blue's Clues Host Donovan Patton Took Care of Him When He Had COVID
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Blue's Clues stars Steve Burns and Donovan Patton have each other's backs.
The original host of the popular children's show tells PEOPLE that Patton — who took the reins as Blue's new pal Joe when Burns exited the series in 2002 — looked after him when he was sick with COVID.
"[Donovan] and I have been friends for a long time now," Burns, 49, says during an interview alongside Patton and Blue's Clues' latest star, Joshua Dela Cruz, who all united for the feature film Blue's Big City Adventure.
"I know his family," Burns continues. "He took care of me when I had COVID. He was rolling Gatorade down his hallway into his guest room for me."
When the two weren't under the weather — Patton, 44, says he had COVID shortly before Burns contracted the virus — they were busy exploring New York City while filming the Blue's Clues movie, which was released last month on Paramount+.
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"We had so many romantic dates," Burns says of their time on location in NYC for the film. "We really were out having fun. 'Oh, should we try the Lebanese restaurants? Shall we go back there?' We were really having a blast."
During their downtime, they also went back to set to watch Dela Cruz film his scenes.
"It was fun to go watch what he's capable of," Patton says of Dela Cruz. "And then I was amazed in the way that translates into the movie, actually, too, because I didn't know how it was going to turn out when I would see it. I was impressed by it. It filled me with the purest form of jealousy because this man is insanely talented."
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Though Dela Cruz, 33, was the last leading man to join the Blue's Clues family, he says he felt completely welcomed by Burns and Patton.
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"Getting to know Steve and Donovan on a personal level beyond [their work] was so freaking cool, because we are cut from the same cloth," Dela Cruz tells PEOPLE. "We're cousins on the show, and it's like a family reunion every time we get together, but the family that you love to see."
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