Brave Kate’s on an ‘uncertain’ path
As GMB’s Kate Garraway has a “flicker of hope” after husband Derek Draper awakes from his coma, she says there’s still far to go
❛ HE’S THERE... BUT HE’S NOT A PRESENCE AS HE SHOULD BE IN THEIR LIVES ❜
She has suffered a horrific three-and-ahalf months of being “gripped by fear” since her beloved husband Derek Draper was rushed into intensive care after suffering organ failure due to the devastating effects of COVID-19.
But Kate Garraway, 53, raised hopes when she revealed some seemingly-positive news at the beginning of last week. She shared that doctors have woken Derek, 52 – with whom she shares Darcey, 14, and Billy, ten – from an induced coma and he can now open his eyes, although as Closer went to press he remained in a largely unresponsive state in hospital.
Derek, a psychologist, was induced into a coma on 30 March, four days after being admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties due to contracting the virus. The complications from coronavirus
left him with lung, kidney and liver failure, resulting in him almost dying on six occasions.
However, as fans expressed their relief at Kate’s apparent good news, her Good Morning Britain colleague Piers Morgan sadly observed it was a “level of optimism that might not be justified”. He added, “We hope, as does Kate, that there will be more evidence of a recovery.
But it will be a very slow and uncertain path.”
Days later, Kate put on a brave face as she returned to the GMB studio to announce she would be returning to her hosting role full-time, but fought back tears as she movingly admitted, “The doctors are saying to me now, ‘You’ve got to get on, you’ve got to get on with life.’ For Darcey and Billy, effectively right now, they’ve lost their dad. He’s there... but he’s not a presence as he should be in their lives.”
HEARTBROKEN
She explained, “There’s two types of coma. There’s the one we think of as vegetative coma, and the one Derek is in, which is a minimum station of consciousness. So, wonderfully, his eyes are open, but we have no real knowledge of what he can see or hear.
“There’s flickers of hope. His lungs are starting to recover, his kidneys are doing better, his liver... but they don’t know how much better he can get.”
Her emotional TV appearance moved fans to tears, with one writing online, “I think most of us now, maybe more so if we are of a certain age, have witnessed the cruel way this virus has ripped families apart. I had a little tear for Kate and all the other millions who have also been heartbroken by this.” Another wrote, “What a remarkable, strong lady.
The interview was lovely.
I am wishing Derek a speedy recovery. Prayers are sent to you, Kate, Darcey and Billy.
Stay strong and keep safe.”
Kate has also been supported by celeb pals, such as Amanda Holden and Myleene Klass, and she told her GMB colleagues that the Beckhams – who have been huge supporters of the NHS and Clap For Carers – had sent her videos for Darcey and Billy, while Elton John called her and asked, “What can I do to help?”
Derek and Kate met in 2004 after being introduced by a mutual friend and married a year later. They’d been planning to renew their wedding vows at the end of this summer.
POSITIVE THINKING
Shortly before Derek was diagnosed, Kate – who became a fan favourite on I’m A Celeb! last year – said, “The wedding is something wonderful to look forward to when all this is over. That’s what we’re trying to do – think of all the good things.”
Now, despite the uncertainty, Kate is trying to keep that level of optimism. Although Derek remains unresponsive, she has been FaceTiming him at the hospital with the help of doctors. She told Piers and Susanna, “I keep saying to him, ‘We are going to go to the Maldives!’ They [the doctors] say, ‘Maybe don’t book a ticket. Positive thinking, but don’t hand over the cash just yet’. But they say, ‘Try to look where you’ve come from and try to look to the future.’
“He’s fighting. He has an absolute will – it’s his will to get back to see Darcey, Billy and me.” By Daisy McLure