Kate Garraway gives heartbreaking update on her husband’s health battle

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published 6 September 2020

Kate Garraway has admitted she is “consumed with fear” amid husband Derek Draper’s ongoing health battle.

The Good Morning Britain star should be renewing her vows with Derek this week to mark their 15th anniversary. But instead the reality is very different after coronavirus “wreaked extraordinary damage” on his body.

With Derek having been in hospital since April - first in an induced coma, now in intensive care - Kate is living “consumed with fear” about what the future holds.

Opening up in an emotional interview with You magazine, she said, “We hope and believe he will come out of it but we just don't know.

“The heart of the family has been ripped out and we don't know if we will ever get it back.”

The TV star returned to work last month after months away from Good Morning Britain as doctors urged Kate - who shares two children, Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, with Derek - to get back to some sort of normality.

Now she’s revealed how they get through each day.

“You need it to get through. So with the children I'd try to do things in a different way. We'd go and bounce on the trampoline for exercise and they'd laugh at how bad I was.”

She continued, “There's been more than the odd day when I've just been consumed with fear. But as a mum you can't go to bed and cry for 24 hours.”

Despite putting on a brave face for the children, Kate, 53, has found his deteriorating condition a “big shock”.

“He's lost nearly eight stone in weight, a lot of it muscle throughout his body. He looked worn-out, thin and pale with dark circles under his eyes and there were lots of tubes.”

Kate explained that while Derek is no longer ill with the virus, he may never recover from the damage the disease has done to his body.

“The fight with the virus has been won and he’s still here but it’s wreaked extraordinary damage on his body and we don’t know if he can recover from that,” Kate said, getting teary.

“He’s still with us and has fought the most extraordinary battle.

“The fact that he is still here, I am so grateful.”

Georgia writes across Woman & Home and Good to Know and specialises in all things royal. Previously labelled the "Queen of the royals," Georgia knows the whose who and what's what when it comes to the monarchy. When she's not eagerly following the royal family, Georgia enjoys shopping and self-care. She lives with this motto in mind; "if your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough."