Kate Garraway says her husband Derek Draper remains "very damaged" amid his health struggles.
Kate Garraway says her husband Derek Draper remains very damaged amid HIS health struggles
The 55-year-old TV presenter explained that her significant other - who has required round-the-clock care since he contracted coronavirus in March 2020 - got "very sick" early on in the pandemic but claimed he has "symbolised" the fight against COVID-19.
She said: "2020 was a devastating year. With Derek, he got very sick very early on in the pandemic and has remained very damaged. That is quite well documented because for a lot of people, he's come to symbolise the fight that goes on."
The 'Good Morning Britain' host - who has been married to former lobbyist Derek, 55, since 2005 and has children Dacey, 16, and Billy, 13 with him - went on to thank fellow ITV presenter Alison Hammond for keeping in touch and "thinking" of her throughout the ordeal.
Speaking on a new episode of ITV's 'DNA Journey', she said: "Alison, she was messaging me to say she was thinking of me in that way."
In August, it was revealed that Derek - thought to be the longest suffering patient with the virus in Britain - was back in hospital after being taken in for a "serious medical procedure".
A source said at the time: "This is another hammer blow for poor Derek. He is giving the fight against covid his absolute all, but his kidneys have suffered some pretty serious damage. Doctors explained there was no alternative but to operate.
"Of course Kate and the family are worried but she’s been reassured the procedure itself is routine. Everyone has everything crossed, and Kate is being her usual stoical self and keeping everything running, business as usual, on the home front."
Kate recently admitted she has wondered how much of her "fight” to keep her husband alive is "about herself".
Speaking to Hollie Battersbee - who previously fought to keep her 12-year-old son Archie alive after a court appeal to keep his life support turned on was rejected, and he later died after it was switched off - Kate said: "I’ve got a couple of things to ask you that are a little bit based from my own experience, which I want to stress, particularly for Derek's family who might be watching, is very different from yours.
"Mercifully I've not had to have the conversations with doctors about discussions of turning off the life support machines, and Derek's brain stem has never been affected in the way that poor Archie's had.
"But I have had to have conversations in my own head with myself sometimes when Derek was in a coma and in a state of minimum consciousness, about how much my frenzy to fight for him and to check every possible option was about me and my needs and how much was about him."
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