First family day out left Derek so tired but it was worth it
Kate opens up about panto trip with stricken husband TV documentary ‘shines light’
KATE has almost finished a second documentary on Covid that explores the difficulties people face accessing help in the social care system and the challenges of long Covid.
Her first documentary last year won a National Television Award. She told Good Morning Britain: “Hopefully it has helped people in highlighting some of the problems ongoing and we’re now coming to the end of making a second documentary.
“It is the aftermath really, all those people who’ve suffered from Covid or any devastating disease, and how you then try and navigate your way forward as a family and through the system, which is so complicated.
“You don’t know it until you’re in it, you don’t realise the emotional toll.
“For some of those people who said, I’m a carer and I don’t get this, I hope I can use my job to shine a light on the challenges you face.”
KATE Garraway says husband Derek Draper is “phenomenally fatigued” from Covid – but it was worth taking him to a pantomime so the family could do something normal together.
Former political adviser Derek became seriously ill with coronavirus in March 2020 and spent months being treated in hospital.
While he is now free of the virus and has been able to come home, he sustained long-lasting damage to his organs and has been photographed using a wheelchair.
The family were pictured going to see Strictly judge Anton Du Beke in Cinderella at London’s Richmond Theatre before Christmas and Kate said: “It was his first big trip out, it took a lot of organising.
“One of the people who showed us to our seat was in tears and saying, ‘I can’t tell you how much it helped me, watching the documentary, I was feeling very low’.
“Derek’s doing all right. He is phenomenally fatigued at the moment. He’s very weak.
NORMAL
“Actually after the trip to the pantomime he was then not out of bed afterwards, but we thought it was worth it. And I think he did, well I know he did too, because it was a special thing to be sitting with the children, holding their hands, doing something normal, but it took everything out of him.
“His speech isn’t there, but I think you can see that he’s aware that something special is happening.
“And that morning I said ‘you’re very tired, do you want to do this?’ And he said ‘yes’.” Kate, 54, has been made an MBE for her services to broadcasting, journalism and charity and said she struggled to believe it was real until people started to congratulate her.
“I actually feel very awkward about it all really, I don’t know why, because I’m thrilled to bits and incredibly honoured,” she said. The TV star defended herself against a small backlash over her MBE, saying: “I haven’t got it for looking after Derek. It is for broadcasting and I think also my charity work but, there’s lots of people that you feel deserve it more.”