Kate Garraway has opened up on her worries about husband Derek Draper’s health, saying she fears she will lose him.
The Good Morning Britain presenter, 56, discussed Derek, also 56, being in and out of hospital after he seriously ill with coronavirus at the very start of the pandemic in March 2020, and was left with lasting damage to his organs.
Doctors put him in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator and he was in hospital for 13 months.
Kate appeared on Heart Breakfast on Monday alongside Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston where she spoke about her husband’s health problems and how it impacts the family.
Jamie asked: ‘How are the kids feeling, that adjustment must be tricky especially at their age?’
Candid: Kate Garraway has opened up on her worries about husband Derek Draper’s health, saying she fears she will lose him
Health: The Good Morning Britain presenter, 56, discussed Derek, also 56, being in and out of hospital
Kate replied: ‘Well, yeah I think it’s been quite interesting. I think some of what I’ve been writing about in the book (The Strength of Love), is the fact that you have adrenaline, don’t you, when something dramatic happens.
‘I talk about what I think is adrenaline, it’s a bit of a frenemy. One level it’s fantastic, it gets you through the crisis, and then as time goes on, it’s not great for your own health.
‘Derek himself has been living on a version of adrenaline as well. And the kids have too in their own way, so I think the last year and a half really, has been coming to terms with the fact that we’re not in a ‘one week’ ‘two week’ ‘three month’ drama.
‘We’re in something ongoing and I think weirdly, that’s how it’s felt for everybody beyond the pandemic.
‘We still don’t know, just how much better Derek can get, or worse. So really every time he has a rush into hospital, we’re still in that adrenaline phase of ‘is this the moment where he could be taken from us’.
‘But also, there’s so many spikes of progression, that no one’s giving up hope that there isn’t going to be a movement forward, so it’s managing that rollercoaster. Sorry that wasn’t particularly clear.’
Amanda then weighed in on Derek’s progress, calling it ‘amazing’ and he continues to go ‘up and up and up’.
Kate agreed: ‘It’s interesting, he comes most alive I think when he’s around, not so much me, let’s be honest, but no, of course there is a huge amount of love for me.
Interview: Kate appeared on Heart Breakfast on Monday alongside Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston where she spoke about her husband’s health problems and how it impacts the family
‘[But] he does come alive and you can see him kind of trying to be the old Dad as much as he can, trying to make them laugh, trying to do different things.
‘But they’ve had to realise that, I mean Derek was this kind of loud, rumbustious, huge, you know… overwhelming… [man], and god how we loved it, but he’s not that now, so they’ve had to readjust,” the GMB host added, gushing over how well her teenage daughter and young son have navigated the situation “brilliantly”‘.
It comes after Kate praised her two children for the way they have handled her husband Derek Draper’s Covid battle.
She said: ‘I think it’s been quite interesting, I think some of what I’ve been writing about in the book [The Strength of Love], is the fact that you have adrenaline, don’t you, when something dramatic happens.
‘I talk about what I think is adrenaline, it’s a bit of a frenemy. One level it’s fantastic, it gets you through the crisis, and then as time goes on, it’s not great for your own health.
‘Derek himself has been living on a version of adrenaline as well. And the kids have too in their own way, so I think the last year and a half really, has been coming to terms with the fact that we’re not in a “one week” “two week” “three month” drama.
‘We’re in something ongoing and I think weirdly, that’s how its felt for everybody beyond the pandemic.’
She continued: ‘We still don’t know, just how much better Derek can get, or worse. So really every time he has a rush into hospital, we’re still in that adrenaline phase of “is this the moment where he could be taken from us?”
‘But also, there’s so many spikes of progression, that no one’s giving up hope that there isn’t going to be a movement forward. So it’s managing that rollercoaster.’
Discussing the relationship between the kids and Derek, she said: ‘He’s their Daddy. And it’s interesting, he comes most alive I think when he’s around, not so much me, let’s be honest, but no, of course there is a huge amount of love for me!
‘He does come alive and you can see him kind of trying to be the old Dad as much as he can, trying to make them laugh, trying to do different things.
Family: Kate appeared on Heart Breakfast on Monday where she spoke about how her and Derek’s daughter Darcey, 17, and son William, 14, are dealing with their father’s illness, gushing that they were ‘navigating it brilliantly’ (pictured in 2021)
‘But they’ve had to realise that, I mean Derek was this kind of loud, rumbustious, huge, you know… overwhelming… and god how we loved it, but he’s not that now, so they’ve had to readjust.
‘You know how you bounce off your parents, different boundaries, and they are doing it brilliantly. They’re navigating it brilliantly.’
Kate has made two documentaries detailing her life as Derek battles the long-term effects of Covid-19, with both winning National Television Awards in the authored documentary category.
She was recognised with an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for her services to broadcasting, journalism and charity.
Kate said: ‘I worry that I’m failing on every front, at everything. But I’ve got to keep going and fight on for Derek.’
Meanwhile, Kate revealed she was hospitalised with ‘excruciating’ chest pains after suffering extreme stress while Derek continued his slow recovery.
She needed medical assistance of her own after being woken by the 2am alarm she sets each night for Good Morning Britain – and discovering she couldn’t move to turn it off.
In her new book, The Strength Of Love, the presenter describes how she then felt a ‘searing pain’ in her chest and was immediately taken to the nearest A&E for tests.
Addressing her own health scare, Kate said: ‘There was a searing pain in my chest — as though someone had punched their fist through my breastbone, snatched hold of my heart and squeezed.
‘The pain was sharp and excruciating. Then I realised that it wasn’t a sudden onset of pain. It had been there all the time. My temporary paralysis had distracted me.
Big moment: Kate was recognised with an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for her services to broadcasting, journalism and charity
‘Then came the thought, “Oh God, was I having a heart attack?”. But why was my body reacting like this?
‘Could I be so desperate to help Derek that I’d started having sympathy pains?’
She then threw up on the way to work and was taken to A&E when she arrived at the studios.
After conducting tests a cardiologist ruled out a heart attack as a possible cause before doctor let her go home.
She also told how she burst into tears when the doctor recognized her and said she was an inspiration, before telling him: ‘I’m not doing any good for anybody.’
Her scare was a one-off issue, but doctors are now keeping an eye on it as it might have been stress-related angina.
Listen to Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden weekdays from 06:30 – 10:00 and on Global Player
