Kate Garraway 'fears' over husband Derek Draper's care needs

Garraway had to take several months off work when her husband first became ill

Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway has said she has a "fear of the reality" of becoming her husband's primary carer.

Derek Draper remains in hospital after contracting Covid-19 in March 2020 and remains very poorly.

Garraway's year-long struggle will be shown in an ITV documentary, Finding Derek, on Tuesday evening.

"If he needs 24-hour care I will be the primary carer. I have a fear of the reality of that life," she says.

"It is a completely different dynamic to our relationship."

In the documentary, she discusses her family's future and whether their "dynamic" may change when Draper leaves hospital.

He was placed in a medically-induced coma when he was admitted to hospital at the start of the pandemic and although slowly improving, Garraway says Draper's doctors told her he was the most seriously ill person they had seen who remained alive.

In the programme, which was filmed over the last year, she says that while "I don't think I ever really saw it (the situation) as giving up work," that may be a possibility she has to face.

"If I have to give up work to care for him then it is best to do it now when I am earning money," she says.

But on Tuesday's GMB, Garraway clarified: "The truth is, as much as I like to think I have all the answers sometimes, Derek doesn't need me, I'm not the person to care for him.

"I will obviously be there completely, 100% if that would make a difference but actually what Derek needs is specialist, professional, medical support ongoing because there is a good chance he can improve but we need to make sure that support is there now for that to happen."

Garraway's spokesperson has said she has no plans currently to give up her role on GMB.

"In fact, her job has been something of a lifeline and really kept her spirits up over this past year and she has no plans to change that," a spokesperson told the BBC on Tuesday.

In the documentary, Garraway is seen renovating the ground floor of their family home so it is wheelchair accessible ahead of his possible return.

Kate Garraway and Derek Draper have two children, Darcey and William

She tells their 11-year-old son William: "You know that we are hoping that dad will get better and better, but when he comes home he will probably need to be in a wheelchair, so we are trying to make it so he can do all this."

The couple also have a daughter Darcey, aged 15.

Garraway says Draper's gradual recovery, which has seen him regain the ability to talk, "feels like a positive".

She told GMB that her husband's communication had "regressed a little" since filming the documentary, but "he's even got his accent back".

In the documentary, she discusses the ups and downs of dealing with Draper's condition.

"The only thing that panics me is that we are on such a rollercoaster with Derek that I am looking around during all this chaos and then the next minute there will be a phone call to say something has gone backwards.

"You think, 'Gosh, am I just fooling myself, I suppose?"'

Sir Elton's support

Garraway also speaks to other families who have been severely affected by Covid, particularly those suffering from long-term symptoms, as well as NHS staff and other medical experts.

"I am very aware that I am very lucky, because Derek is still here. And we have got the chance to battle on."

The programme also sees Sir Elton John giving Garraway support over the phone, telling her: "I pray for him every night, in my prayers, and you and your family.

"He is an amazing man, please give him my love when you talk to him next time."

Garraway has been playing Draper music by Sir Elton in the hope he will respond.

When Draper, a former political adviser, first became ill last year, Garraway was absent from GMB for several months.

She returned in July after doctors told her she had "to get on with life".

Kate Garraway: Finding Derek airs on ITV on Tuesday 23 March at 21:00 GMT.

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