Kate Garraway says co-hosting 'Good Morning Britain' has kept her "sane" amid her husband Derek Draper's 12 months in hospital - and she is "going nowhere".
Kate Garraway
In her upcoming documentary 'Kate Garraway: Finding Derek', the 53-year-old TV presenter tells how she may "give up work" to be her husband's primary carer, but she has now insisted that while she will be there "100 per cent completely" for Derek, he requires "specialist, professional, medical support ongoing".
Speaking to her co-host Ben Shephard on 'GMB' today (23.03.21), she said: "You can’t get rid of me that easily, Shephard - I'm not going nowhere!
"I don’t think I ever really saw it as ever giving up work. I thought, right, I need to change my future as anyone who faces a long-term illness will do.
"To be honest being here has kept me sane - not just because you’re all amazing and supportive but everyone at home has been supportive - but because it's a slice of normal, it's a slice of life before.
"The truth is as much as I may think I have the answers all the time, Derek doesn’t need me. I'm not the person to care for him.
"I obviously will be there 100 per cent completely if Derek needs me, but what he needs is specialist, professional, medical support ongoing - because there is a good chance that he can improve but we need to make sure the support is there now.
"I will sit there and hold his hands but people in his situation need expertise and I'm not an expert."
Kate fought back the tears during her interview today as she spoke about what Derek has been through, in the 12 months since he was hospitalised last March with coronavirus.
He is now free of coronavirus, but remains in intensive care, and some of the after-effects have included Derek's heart stopping more than once, his kidneys have failed, his liver and pancreas have been damaged, and numerous infections have left holes in his lungs.
She said: "There is a moment in the documentary that I think is tough for people to watch and that is the moment where he feels like he can’t go on.
"And I managed to record that moment. Actually, it was quite a long period of that, in truth. That particular moment was actually a night where I then came in here and was on air the next morning.
"It started late at night and I didn't want to come off the FaceTime, I wanted to stay with him and say, 'I'm still here, I'm still here, I'm still here'. So we kept going through the night.
"And then in the car on the way to work, I asked, 'Can you put 'Good Morning Britain' on in there so he can see that and doesn't feel abandoned'.
"What was interesting about that point and why I decided to include it, because it obviously is him on a very low emotional ebb. So you have to think very carefully about whether he wanted that to be shown.
"But why I wanted to include it is because anybody would feel where they've been trapped inside a body and mind that's not letting them communicate but they're fighting against physical pain and discomfort. Anyone would feel that way.
"I think it was just important to show that is going to affect you whatever degree you've got it. It's going to affect everybody."
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