Husband’s care put Kate ‘£800k in debt’
KATE Garraway honoured her marriage vows to be with husband Derek Draper in sickness and in health – and she bravely looked after him until his last breath.
But in a new film she tells how his round-the-clock care had a £16,000 monthly cost, which was more than she was earning and has caused her to rack up huge debts.
The Good Morning Britain presenter estimates that these have gone up to around £800,000.
Effects
Kate’s husband died aged 56 in January after a lengthy battle with the long-term effects of Covid. The final year of his life is documented in an ITV programme, in which Derek says: “I want you to hear my story.”
The film confronts the reality of his struggles. He has his carer Jake helping him with hyperbaric oxygen therapy – breathing pure oxygen in a pressurised environment. In another scene, a mobility coach is trying to help him to get back on his feet. But none of this comes cheaply.
Kate says: “Derek’s care costs more than my salary from ITV and that is before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay any household bills, before you pay for anything for the kids, so we are at a crunch point.
“I am in debt. I can’t earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek’s care and I can’t even use the money I do have to support Derek’s recovery, because it’s going on the basics all the time.”
Kate – who had Darcey, 18, and Billy, 15, with Derek – adds: “I have an incredible job that I love, which is well-paid but it’s not enough.”
●Kate Garraway: Derek’s Story, tonight, 9pm, on ITV1, ITVX and STV.