Kate: I just hope I can get Derek up North for Xmas
Star’s wish amid Covid recovery
KATE Garraway’s big Christmas wish is for husband Derek Draper to be well enough to travel to see his family as he continues his slow recovery from coronavirus.
Derek, 54, has remained at home in London since leaving hospital after a year battling Covid and organ failure related to the illness.
Kate, also 54, hopes he will be able to manage the 210-mile trip to his relatives in Chorley, Lancs.
Good Morning Britain host and radio presenter Kate said: “The dream would be to get Derek to Chorley.
“At the moment, moving him is a big problem, it’s exhausting for him...
“But we’re also grateful he’s here at all, which we didn’t have last year and maybe feared would never happen.”
She said Derek is nowhere near able to go Christmas shopping with their children – Darcey, 15, and Billy, 12 – as would normally be the case. Kate also spoke about how hard it is for the kids to deal with issues such as Derek not being able to speak or focus for long.
She said: “I can sometimes feel their disappointment when they say something that in the past he’d have lit up at [or] be shocked at... But he remains passive because he can’t react. You can feel their heartbreak.”
Speaking in Woman’s Own about her struggle amid Derek’s ongoing battle,
Kate said: “I’m not sure if I am coping that well or getting it right, but
I’m doing what I can.”
Derek was admitted to hospital in March
2020 and finally left in
April this year. He is now free of Covid but it has caused long-term damage to his organs.
mark.jefferies@mirror.co.uk