Find out how Kate Garraway’s husband Derek Draper is doing now

KATE GARRAWAY’S husband Derek Draper contracted coronavirus in March 2020 which left him critically ill.

He spent over a year in hospital, before finally returning home to be cared for by his GMB star wife and their children.

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What is the latest on Kate Garraway’s husband Derek Draper?

In her memoir Kate Garraway: The Power of Hope, the presenter stated she had received support from a member of the royal family amid her husband’s Covid battle.

On October 20, 2021, while attending an awards ceremony for Prince Charles’ Trust Awards, she revealed that the prince of Wales was the royal to have extended a helping hand.

“You might not remember but you were very kind to me because my husband got very sick with Covid after the last Prince’s Trust Awards”, Kate told the Duke of Cornwall.

“You wrote to me and gave me help from your doctors, so thank you very much… and he did improve.”

Speaking openly about her husband’s long recovery, Kate gave a painful update on his health back on October 9, 2021, opening up about missing the “small things.”

During an interview with The Telegraph, the former political advisor claimed that Derek was still sleeping 20 hours a day.

“It’s not been easy”, she said, “everyone wants to know how Derek is doing, and I want to say: ‘he’s doing great!’ Because I so want to give them a happy ending.”

Since contracting Covid, Derek has suffered from several complications including brain inflammation and damage to the lungs, kidneys, heart and liver.

“The doctors believe that there will be a trajectory but that it will be very slow.”

“Derek will still sleep for 20 hours a day, for example.”

Derek receives round-the-clock care after returning to his family home and, although he is able to communicate, Kate has realised that he is unable to communicate as he did before contracting coronavirus.

Applauding her two children’s “bravery”, Kate also confessed she had not cried over the ordeal, admitting she is not ready to talk to a therapist for fear of “opening the floodgates.”

On September 9, 2021, Kate choked back the tears as she was honoured for her documentary on husband Derek Draper’s gruelling battle with Covid.

The Good Morning Britain presenter got a standing ovation at the National Television Awards for Finding Derek.

Wiping away tears, she said: “Thank you so much for voting. I wonder if the reason you did because our story is your story.

“We’ve all been touched by the pandemic. Whether it’s livelihood, mental health, all the other extraordinary documentaries which have been highlighted and nominated tonight, they have also been affected by the pandemic.”

Back in March 2021 Kate’s documentary Finding Derek aired on ITV.

In the film Kate was seen breaking down in tears as Derek spoke for the first time after coming out of a coma.

In heartbreaking scenes, the Good Morning Britain presenter revealed how emotional it was to see such progress after 214 days in hospital.

Kate shared a video of herself filming her husband during a rehab session and captured the extraordinary moment.

When the doctor asked if the movement was ok, he said: “Pain”.

Speaking about the moment afterwards, Kate said: “So that is the first time I saw him mouth a word and he mouths pain, I saw it really clearly and I said ‘pain, pain’.”

Unable to fight back tears, the mum-of-two said: “It makes me cry because that is a massive breakthrough- the fact his brain can communicate to his mouth to shape the word pain.”

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Timeline of Derek Draper’s coronavirus battle

2020

2021

• January 7, 2021: Kate reveals her kids saw sick husband Derek for the first time since March 2020 over Christmas, but lockdown means she’s banned from seeing him again.
• February 11, 2021: Kate returns to GMB and reveals her heartache after being unable to see Derek since Christmas and says there’s “no end in sight”.
• February 26, 2021: Dr Hilary reveals he has been supporting Kate.
• March 20, 2021: Kate said her seriously-ill husband Derek’s brain is “no longer his friend”.
• March 23. 2021: Kate’s Finding Derek documentary airs and reveals the heartbreaking moment her husband woke up from his coma.
• April 8, 2021: Derek set to return home where he will continue to receive round-the-clock care.
• April 9, 2021: Derek is finally back in his family home in North London after over a year in hospital.
• September 9, 2021: Kate was left in tears as she accepted an NTA gong for her documentary about Derek.
• October 9, 2021: Kate claimed Derek is still sleeping 20 hours a day and is unable to communicate as he did before contracting Covid.
• October 21, 2021: Kate revealed Prince Charles is the royal who extended a helping hand amid Derek’s Covid battle during the Prince’s Trust Awards at St James’ Palace in London.