Kate Garraway says her husband has begun to wake from his coma.
Kate Garraway
The 'Good Morning Britain' presenter has revealed her husband Derek Draper has finally opened his eyes after being in a coma since battling coronavirus in March, but says he remains in intensive care, as he is still in a "minimum state of consciousness".
Speaking to HELLO! magazine, she said: "I really believe he can hear. When medical staff say: 'Good morning, Derek,' he sometimes opens his eyes. We and the doctors are doing everything we can so that he can start to recover."
Kate, 53, says she and her children - Darcey, 14, and William, 10 - are still doing "everything [they] can" to help bring Derek round to full consciousness.
She added: "We're keeping positive and doing everything we can to bring him round. The children and I communicate with him every day on FaceTime, while a nurse holds his iPad."
The presenter has been warned on multiple occasions her husband may never emerge from his coma, and doctors still say he could persist in his current state.
And while Kate remains hopeful her husband will recover, she has decided to "get on with life" instead of "living at the end of the phone" waiting for updates on his condition.
She explained: "The doctors have been urging me not to put my life on pause.
"They've told me that I need to go back to work and create a routine in our lives again. The children and Derek are all I've thought about and they're the most important people in my life, but I must create structure and normality for the children, to clean the bath, put the plates in the dishwasher, and tidy the house.
"I also need to get back to work so that I can provide for the children and we can do things together, to make them feel that the light hasn't gone out of their lives, that there's hope for the future.
"I have been living at the end of the phone 24/7, waiting for news of Derek. But the doctors have warned that his condition could persist for years so I have to get on with life whilst we are waiting for him to get better. Billy starts secondary school in September, but Derek's doctors say he won't be out of hospital by then.
"My priority is to make the children feel safe, not to let them see me feeling vulnerable in the world where Derek was my rock."
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