Kate Garraway admits husband Derek Draper’s health battle can be ‘exhausting’ for those around her
An emotional Kate Garraway broke down when she opened up about her husband Derek Draper’s health battle during an appearance on Lorraine on Friday.
The Good Morning presenter, 55, admitted there is “no end point” to her care and that her new way of life can be “exhausting” on those around her.
Derek is one of the longest-suffering covid patients in the UK after being admitted to hospital with the virus in March 2020, only returning to the family’s London home in April 2021, where he receives 24-hour care. .
Candid: Kate Garraway, 55, emotionally discussed her husband Derek’s health battle during an appearance on Friday’s Lorraine
She told host Lorraine Kelly: “And the thing is, when it’s a long battle like with Derek, there’s no end point and it can be exhausting for the people around me as well.”
“I know sometimes people say ‘oh, she’s talking about that again,’ but what I’ve learned is that you only really know how she feels unless you’re in it.”
Before adding: ‘And now I am contacted by thousands and thousands of people who make me feel less alone.’
Ill health: Derek is one of the UK’s hardest-suffering Covid patients after being admitted to hospital with the virus in March 2020, only returning to the family’s London home in April 2021, where receives 24-hour care (pictured together earlier this year)
Speaking about Derek’s current state of health after being rushed to hospital with sepsis, he said: “Oh, I mean, you know, it’s a long bout.”
‘I can see that he has better days, he has worse days. Fortunately he is home now. It’s been a long battle to bring him back home.’
Kate joined co-host Ben Shephard to discuss ITV’s GMB Loneliness campaign and took the opportunity to thank him for his unwavering support.
Hard work: The Good Morning host admitted there’s ‘no end point’ to her care and her new way of life can be ‘exhausting’ on those around her
Thank you: Kate joined co-host Ben Shepard to discuss ITV’s GMB Loneliness campaign and took the opportunity to thank him for his unwavering support.
Ben quipped: “Kate is so amazing in the way she juggles all these balls in her life. I go over to her house and my instinct is to throw everything away and get rid of all the junk she has lying there.”
Kate replied: “Ben, all jokes aside and as cheeky as can be, it’s been amazing.”
It comes after Kate thanked her husband Derek when he won his second Best Auteur Documentary award at the National Television Awards last month.
Honesty: She said: ‘I know sometimes people say ‘oh, she’s talking about that again’, but what I’ve learned is that you only really know how she feels unless you’re involved.’
The broadcaster fought back tears as she accepted the gong for her documentary, Caring For Derek.
He won the award last year for his first documentary, Finding Derek, which focused on Derek’s battle for health after he was first hospitalized with the coronavirus.
Accompanied by her 16-year-old daughter Darcey on stage, Kate said Derek continues to “struggle” after he returned to hospital with sepsis.
She said, ‘Well, I really didn’t expect this. So the mercy of that is that this is going to be short since I have very little set up.
Caregiver: Speaking about Derek’s current state of health after being rushed to hospital with sepsis, he said, “Oh, I mean, you know, it’s a long bout.”
I have my daughter here, Darcey. Darcey represents the whole family. We managed to talk to Derek, he’s back in the hospital right now, struggling incredibly. We hope he comes home soon.
She continued: ‘I want to thank Derek for his incredible fighting spirit, we love you. I want to thank ITV for being so brave to put something that really gets touched on in all the amazing documentaries, about caring.
‘We have a crisis of care in our country, but we do not have a crisis of love. Professional caregivers are extraordinary, the millions who care for the ones they love are extraordinary.
And I think that’s probably why they voted for this, because they know it’s all of you. We all feel alone, we all need a little care and love.
‘So thank you very much, it means a lot to all those people. Thank you very much.’
Caring For Derek won against stiff competition from Katie Price: What Harvey Did Next, Tom Parker: Inside My Head, Julia Bradbury: Breast Cancer and Me, and Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism.
Winner: It comes after Kate thanked her husband Derek when he won his second Best Auteur Documentary award at the National Television Awards last month (pictured with daughter Darcey)